


Miraculous: Darker Origins.

by the17thtearoom



Series: Miraculous: Darker Origins. [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bee Chloé Bourgeois | Queen Bee, Dog Lila Rossi | The Hound, Dragon Kagami Tsurugi | Ryuko, F/M, Fox Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Goddesses, Gods, Identity Reveal, Kwamis Are Gods, Original Akuma, Original Akuma - Mourning Star, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Snake Luka Couffaine | Viperion, The League of Assassins (DCU)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2020-10-02 17:55:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 135,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20365342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the17thtearoom/pseuds/the17thtearoom
Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng has struggled in the aftermath of her toughest Akuma yet; Mourning Star, a grieving mother taken advantage of by Hawkmoth. Her team has fallen apart and her partner has gone silent.Her world takes a turn for the brighter when she meets Damian Wayne, but before she can enjoy the new turn her life has taken, outside forces converge to make sure that this time once she goes down, she stays down. For good. Though the Miraculous wielders may be gods amongst men, they are still only men amongst Gods...





	1. i. (Batman Is) The Root Of All Irritation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is a diversion from my own Miraculous Ladybug AU, Darker Origins. To understand the inciting conflict of this story better, please check out the first part of this series!
> 
> Song of the day (and song of the entire fic) is Woke Up This Morning by A3.

Marinette and Damian met first through a letter exchange program headed by their schools.

"This will be so much _fun!"_ Marinette had exclaimed.

"This is going to be utterly insipid," Damian had grumbled.

They exchanged letters for a couple of years and Damian, despite his (many) initial misgivings, was surprised to find he had grown quite attached to this girl he didn’t really know, who lived an ocean away from him, and who seemed _entirely_ too happy for his liking. By all rights, there was no reason for him to be attached.

Marinette was passionate, he knew. She was smart as well, and determined. She had been voted class president for three years in a row and whenever he inquired about her role, he couldn’t help but notice how dedicated she was. These were the only things about her he admired, he told himself, even as he tucked the photo she had sent of herself, upon prompting by her teacher Ms Bustier, into his wallet. That was it. Really. (Narrator voice: _It wasn’t it_.)

About three months before the Francois-Dupont class was due to go to Gotham, he was forced to admit to himself that it wasn’t, because that was when Marinette stopped writing letters. They were _supposed_ to send one monthly, back and forth, especially in the run up to the trip, so why wasn’t she?

What he didn’t know was that Mourning Star had attacked three months ago, the combined forces of the Parisian and outer French authorities stopping the story from spreading. (”Imagine what it would do to tourism!” Mayor Bourgeois had protested, because he’s an arsehole.)

So when the time finally arrives, Damian isn’t sure whether Marinette will be among their number. He sure as hell hurries to find out though, (I mean to say, he walks to their hotel at a normal, reasonable pace) and is relieved to recognise a head of inky hair, tied back in a ponytail, as soon as he walks through the door to the Gotham Hotel. But something is wrong.

Because she is completely alone.

"Where are your classmates, Marinette?" he asks of her, forgoing any kind of greeting because, _hello_, Damian Wayne. There are more important things as far as he’s concerned.

She turns at his call, blinking at him like he's a crazy person. "Oh, Damian Wayne! It's nice to finally meet you!"

"Why are you alone here?" he asks.

She reddens then, and mutters, "They uh - They left me behind." _Well_.

Damian is now on the warpath.

That is until he is stopped in his tracks by a five foot five girl, who can’t weigh anything more than one hundred pounds. “I came all this way, and you aren’t even going to say hello?” She smiles at him, and though it seems weighed down by something, it’s the brightest he’s ever seen. Thoughts of vengeance can wait. Right now Damian has better things to do.

So, he offers to buy her a coffee, and she accepts so long as he lets her buy him one in return, and he takes her around the tour spots she was supposed to be seeing with her class. He has quite possibly the best day of his life so far and at the end of it asks her if she would like to get dinner. There’s still time before she needs to be back at the hotel, so Marinette accepts.

They sit in a fancy Italian place that has her raising her eyebrows, and Damian finally asks her what he’s been asking himself for the last few months; why did she stop writing? However, the question has her clamming up, panicking, so he’s quick to dismiss it and calm her down. They move onto a different subject, but Damian files his question away for further investigation.

Their dinner is miraculously uninterrupted - this was a great concern of Damian’s, though he declined to say why when Marinette asked - and he walks her back to the hotel. He knows a certain shadowy figure is following them and tries not to show his displeasure, not that Marinette would have noticed; the early winter air seems to chill her to the bone and her eyes dart about the darkened streets nervously. Perfectly understandable, they are in Gotham, and the city’s reputation precedes it.

She’s definitely _not_ cold when they reach the doors of the hotel and, after only the briefest of internal struggles, he decides to kiss her. He’s willing to admit to himself that he’s been waiting for this for three years.

They promise to meet the next day, swap numbers, and Damian heads home, basking in the success of his night.

Then Batman swoops in and ruins it.

He wants to know how his date went, that’s all. Damian might believe it if he couldn’t see the smug smirk forcing its way onto his father’s face. Scowling, he bites out that it went “_fine_, thank you.”

“That’s good,” Batman says as he follows his son via shop fronts and rooftops. “When are we meeting her?”

“Absolutely not. None of you are going near her.”

“Oh, Damian,” Batman chuckles, “you really think you can keep them away?” And then, like the overgrown bat he is, he swoops off into the night, leaving one scowling seventeen year old beneath the light of a streetlamp.

Marinette is left behind the next day, and so she and Damian tour the city together again. Things turn sour when they manage to run into the rest of her class and Lila, back on her bullshit, tries to spin a yarn about their concern for Marinette when they lost her yesterday!

Damian isn’t hesitant about shutting her down and notices a somewhat familiar blond boy watching his - friend? Girlfriend? Or just penpal? - with an almost alarming intensity. One glance at Marinette tells him she sees Adrien too, and he’s making her tense and miserable, so they try to avoid him.

The rest of her class fail to impress him, save for one or two friendly faces. Marinette introduces him to Max, Alix and Kim, and she points out Chloe Bourgeois too, but that’s it, and seeing the overall behaviour of the Parisian teenagers, as they surround Lila Rossi, that’s it for Damian’s patience too. Against his better instincts, he invites Marinette for lunch at his place. She says sure, why not?

This is when she finds out that “his place” is Wayne Manor, and her jaw hits the floor. He’s one of _those_ Waynes?__

“Oh? Did I not tell you?” He really, _really_ hopes he sounded casual there. (He didn’t, but don’t tell him that.) Alfred, as impeccably mannered as ever, is happy to put together a nice lunch for Master Damian’s girlfriend (and he even pretends he didn’t see them both blush red). He thinks there’s something oddly familiar about the Parisian girl, but he can’t say for sure until he directs her towards the bathroom at one point and hears her whispering to someone named Tikki. A lightbulb goes off, but he doesn’t say anything. There’s no way anyone would choose a girl as young as Miss Marinette to be the new Ladybug.

Damian almost gets his wish for a quiet lunch, before his father gatecrashes. The duo are intercepted as they prepare to leave. Bruce Wayne is far too happy about this. Damian tries not to outright glare in front of Marinette, and this makes his father’s grin widen further still.

“Well, Damian, who’s your friend?”

* * *

Damian is not a happy camper. Who does his father think he is? _Batman?_

No. His father is a good-for-nothing busy body, and Damian should have known he would do this. Marinette is comparatively amused (if not also _be_mused) and introduces herself.

Bruce already knew who she was, of course, but he pretended not to for her sake, and before Damian could magic her away he invited her for dinner the following night, and she accepted without seeing Damian making frantic negative arm signals behind his father’s back.

The Batman always wins.

They leave the manor and return to Marinette’s class (against Damian’s better judgement), where he observes something interesting in a couple of her classmates; Adrien and Alya, who he _knows_ she had for a long time referred to as friends. The looks shared between them now do not cry of companionship.

Since Mourning Star, Alya has retreated from her duties as Rena Rouge and most Ladyblog activity has halted since the great attack. Alya has fallen into step with Lila and Marinette supposes that it must be comforting for her to have a friend who can spin such pretty, lovely lies. As if Elise Bisset and Mourning Star had never existed.

Both Adrien and Alya have their eyes on Marinette from the moment she rejoins the class. The latter watches with suspicion, the former with something altogether more concerning to a clueless Damian. Is has both him and Marinette on edge but neither act on it, until he gives them reason to.

The duo keep to themselves throughout the rest of the afternoon and Adrien gets noticeably more agitated; since Mourning Star his once ordinary protectiveness towards his friends has turned up to eleven and taken on a toxic element. All it takes for him to snap is a few whispered words from Lila, out for revenge after Damian’s public renouncing the day before, and he is marching over to them.

“Mari, who is this guy? Do you trust him? Do you even _know him?_” He’s glaring, bearing down on the two with all the intimidation he can muster. It doesn’t have much effect.

No _civilian_ is going to get to Damian Wayne, though he will admit to his own temper rising in response to the questioning.

Marinette crosses her arms and glares right back. “Of course I know him, Adrien, he’s my Gotham pen-pal.”

This isn’t enough to satiate Adrien’s rising paranoia and he tries to challenge Damian directly. He, of course, is having none of it, but before they can get into a full on fight, Marinette puts herself between them and tries appealing to her old friend’s better nature.

“I know that you’ve struggled since Mourning Star,” she tells him. “We _all _have, but the way you’re acting now - the way you’ve _been _acting for the last three months - it isn’t right. It isn’t _helping_. Not you, or anyone else.”

She holds her breath and waits, staring into green eyes that are painfully, agonisingly familiar, in more ways than one, and she finally breathes out when he backs off, temporarily cowed.

Damian wonders what morning star is and if it’s connected to Marinette’s recent radio silence, but thinking back to her panic the night previous, he decides it would be best not to ask. He can google “morning star” without her having to know, after all.

The confrontation isn’t finished, as Ayla, who has been watching, silent, from the sidelines, speaks up herself.

“Girl,” she says, disappointment laid on thick, “come on. Adrien’s had a really bad time recently. Whatever’s going on with him, you getting mad won’t help.”

Marinette’s hurt is palpable; though they had grown apart - or _fallen_, more aptly - since Rena Rouge’s quitting, she hadn’t realised how much. Lila had been given plenty of time to dig her claws in, it seemed, and they were in _deep_.

She is tired, in that bone deep way that sleeping doesn’t fix, and the temporary high of having finally met Damian has been killed off. “I can’t deal with this right now,” she says, narrowing her eyes so no one can see the tears in them building. “Why don’t you just mind your own business, Alya?”

This is the most venomous Marinette Dupain-Cheng gets and it seems to shake her classmates. As the ex-friends move apart, they glance at each other and shake their heads, stunned. In the aftermath of Mourning Star, Marinette has spent far too much time kept to herself, and has failed to notice that Alya isn’t the only person in class that Lila has enchanted.

“This is _ridiculous_,” Chloe says to Sabrina, who still hangs onto her only friend’s word - most of the time. “Can you believe it? Dupain-Cheng’s so disgustingly concerned for everybody else it’s amazing that she hasn’t combusted yet. Of all the things for people to fall out with her over…”

Damian hears this but disregards it for the moment; Marinette has turned away from her classmates, hiding her face. Her fists are clenched, and his jaw tightens.

“Lets go,” he says to her, narrowing his eyes at the turned back of their teacher, one Ms Bustier, who has either failed to notice or actively ignored the whole incident. He’ll have to do something about _that_ too.

Marinette is clearly down and doesn’t seem to want to explore so they go back to the hotel - and just as well. The Riddler has taken hostages in the east of the city and Batman needs Robin, _asap_.

He tells Marinette to stay inside and slips away before she can learn of the incident herself, then returns to the Manor where he suits up. He goes out and joins Batman, and is utterly _disgusted_ to find that Red Robin is there too. The nerve. The _absolute_ nerve.

The fight is over soon enough and as they leave, the inevitable happens; Red Robin sees him texting Marinette. He sees -

_He sees a heart emoji_.

Disaster has struck.

Drake is merciless, but if he is not careful no numbers of other Robins will save him. Damian glares at nothing for half the way back to the manor, but it is after Drake’s fourth “girlfriend who lives in Canada” joke that he swings off course. Batman and his ill-advised replacement call after him but he ignores them, and makes his way to the Francois Dupont school’s hotel.

He finds Marinette’s window and checks in on her. Her back is to the window and she doesn’t seem to notice him, busy talking to - her… bag? Damian frowns. She’s talking into the little pink bag she wears all the time. _Into it_.

Then she stiffens out of nowhere, and whips around to stare outside.

Marinette knows someone is out there. Outside her window, which is _on the fourth floor_.

Gotham has its own heroes, she knows. Batman, and the various assorted Robins. She sees the “R” on this person’s uniform and draws the natural conclusion. She sucks in a breath, closes her bag, and opens the window to the frozen figure outside.

“Are you… _Robin?”_ The figure doesn’t reply. It seems they can’t, as shocked as she is. “What are you doing out there?”


	2. i. Damian Wishes For Oblivion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin chats with Marinette for five minutes on a windowsill, the other Robins steadily descend like a murder of irritating crows, and Marinette laments the loss of her friendships from home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the overwhelming response these silly little posts have found so far!

Marinette watches the figure outside her bedroom, unblinking. They watch her right back. It’s Robin, she thinks. One of Batman’s... minions?

But what was he doing here? Had he seen Tikki? It wouldn’t do for anyone to know her identity, even another hero. Or vigilante. Whatever he was. 

“What are you doing here?” she asks again. He seems reluctant to answer her, which makes her suspicions rise and her paranoia tingle. What if Robin wasn’t a hero? What if she was mistaken? But she could swear that there was something familiar about this person...

A winter breeze flows into the room and chills her right down to the bone. Damn her more Miraculous traits. Robin must see her shiver because his eyes narrow behind his mask and he clears his throat.

“Aren’t you going to let me in?”

A smile almost forces its way to her lips. “What, after you came all this way?” she says, only jesting, but it seems she has struck a nerve, because Robin seems to flinch. It would have been easy to miss but Marinette, in her tenure as Ladybug, has learned to see things the average person couldn’t. “I - I only mean, weren’t you fighting the Riddler only five minutes ago? Are you just very fast, or should I be worried about hotel invasion now?”

Robin’s reply, when it comes, is stilted. “Not to worry,” he says, and it’s like he’s putting a voice on. “Riddler’s going to be in Arkham for a while at least.”

“That’s good to hear,” she says evenly, and crosses her arms. “So what are you doing out there, Robin?” Her voice is neutral enough but her mind is gripped by the sudden fear that somehow, _he knows_. _Nobody_ knows her identity, but now she fears that he might.

“I’m, ah - here to see you,” he admits, and for some reason it makes her go red. It’s all she can do to stop herself from flailing about as she would have done a couple of years ago. 

Cool officially lost, she blurts, “I - _Me?_ You’re here to - to see _me?_”

He clears this throat again and nods. “Damian Wayne happened upon me as I was heading back to base. He asked me to check in on you.”

Her eyebrows rose. “What was Damian doing wandering about Gotham when a villain was attacking?” Privately, she can’t help but be pleased that he would think of her at such a time, and that he would employ the help of a local hero to check up. “How do you even know him?”

“I - Well he is the sole true born son of Gotham’s richest man,” Damian can’t help but say. “It only makes sense that we know him.”

“‘We’ as in the other Robins? And Batman?” Something is niggling at her now but she brushes it aside and smiles at his nod. He is still crouched there, outside her window. “Well, Robin, I’m very honoured that you would make such a diversion for my sake, but as you can see I am completely fine, so you can be on your way and let Damian know for me, seeing as he’s above texting.” A smile has stretched her lips and she’s trying not to laugh as she says, “I’m _very_ sorry, but I don’t let strange birds into my hotel room. Goodnight, Robin.”

Feeling a surge of boldness, she shuts the window in his face with a wave and then closes the curtains on the cold, Gotham night. She stays frozen for a second, before a delirious laugh bubbles from her lips and she whirls to face Tikki, who watches her from a discreet corner of the room.

She catches her breath, and then asks, “What just happened?”

* * *

Damian is somewhat dazed as he stares at the curtains. He crouches in place, quite uselessly, for some seconds more until a voice says, “Well I’ll be damned.” His spine goes stiff, but he doesn’t reply. “Timmy _said _you had something going on, I just didn’t believe it until now.”

“_Tch_,” he spits, finally moving and wincing as his knees protest; he had been crouched there for quite a while. “On the comms, we don’t use civilian names, _Nightwing_.” He moves up onto the roof of the hotel and turns to glare at the altogether too delighted figure of his oldest brother.

“Don’t bite my head off, Baby Bat,” Dick smirks. “It’s still busy reeling from _that_.”

“Piss off,” he grumbles, turning to head back to the manor. For a second, he manages to fool himself into thinking the journey might be quiet, before -

“So who is she?”

He sighs, long and hard. “How long were you watching us?”

“Long enough to see her shut you down at the end there.”

Damian scowls. “Just where were you hiding?”

“Building across the street,” he says dismissively. “My suit’s dark; helps me to blend in.”

“How unfortunate.”

Dick snorts. “Yeah, for _you _maybe.”

“You had _no _business spying on us like that. Marinette was suspicious enough to begin with -”

“_Oh_, so her name’s Marinette!”

“_With just Robin there_,” he continues. “What if she’d seen you crouched on a gargoyle like an overgrown -”

“What, bat? Think of a new line, Robin. And relax! I really wasn’t spying on you, just -”

“Checking in?” Damian scoffs. “Please, Marinette didn’t believe it when _I _said it, _I _don’t believe it now _you’re _saying it.” Good lord, Grayson could drag out a conversation. No matter how hard Damian tried to shut it down, _it just kept going_.

“Hey, wasn’t Marinette the name of your Paris pen-pal?” Dick breaks off and gasps. “_Is that her?_ Oh my god, it _is_, isn’t it? Baby Bird, _she’s here!_ In Gotham!”

“I know that, Grayson,” he says irritably. “Are you under the impression that I have no idea who I was just talking to?”

Nightwing smiles an infuriating smile and says, “We don’t use civilian names in-field, _Robin_.”

* * *

The next day dawns bright and clear. A light frost bites at the morning air and Marinette ruminates over her strange encounter with Robin from the night before. She gazes up at the ceiling and crosses her arms over the duvet, furrowing her brows and thinking, thinking -

Her thinking is interrupted my a harried knocking at the door, and she jolts up on bed.

“Hey! Marinette! You alive in there?” It’s Alix, shouting at the top of her lungs. “We’re going in, like, five minutes!”

She dresses in a frenzy, throwing on a pair of dungarees over a cream jumper and a jacket of her own making on over that. She smiles, ever so briefly, at the golden thread at the bottom, near the zip, which bears her brand, before she remembers herself and grabs her bag, jolting awake her kwami, snoozing away inside it.

“Sorry Tikki,” she says breathlessly, knowing that her little friend struggled even more than she did in cold weather. She throws open the door but Alix is already gone and Marinette is stood alone in the corridor, chest heaving after her miraculous quick change.

“Could have taken my time,” she grumbles to herself, sloping off down the corridor towards the stairs.

She thinks this to herself again as she sees Nathaniel’s familiar head of red hair vanishing off in the distance from the window in the lobby, and foregoing breakfast, she yells incoherently for a second before speeding off after them. This time when they set off for their destination, Marinette is among their number and Ms Bustier gives her a distracted smile when she spots her. Marinette manages a weak wave in return, but doesn’t feel good in herself at all.

They almost left her behind again.

Wayne Enterprises towers above her head as she follows along at the back of the class. She has to crane her neck to see the top, and then she’s squinting against the sun so much her eyes are almost shut. The place has a feeling of enormity to it that makes her feel very small indeed, but she listens as attentively as always while they are brought around by their tour guide, who beams at them and speaks in heavily accented French for their benefit.

Marinette is trying to ignore her growling stomach the entire time and she wishes she had thought to grab a breakfast bar on her way out, even more so when one particularly vicious growl has Lila giggling behind her hand and elbowing Mylene, who chuckles along, but eyes Marinette nervously, like she doesn’t want to be caught.

Doesn’t matter. She’s too hungry to be upset and the morning drags as a result, so when their guide announces that they’re free to go to lunch, she almost cries with relief. They’re lead to the cafeteria, which mostly empty, and told to eat whatever they would like.

“I think I'd be careful who I said that to,” Lila says, smirking over at Marinette, who goes red when more of her classmates snigger in response. She hadn’t realised so many of them had heard.

Adrien doesn’t laugh, but when his attention is also naturally drawn to her, he seems to wilt away. It makes Marinette’s heart hurt, even more so when she thinks about the secret she suspects he carries.

The one they used to carry together.

The secret that had once made him the only other person in the world who knew exactly what she was going through.

Marinette blinks back tears and turns away, pretending to study a fire safety board, when -

“Is there a problem?” a voice from behind her asks. She turns to look at a tall young man, who is watching her class with an amicable smile. There’s an edge to it that makes Marinette nervous. When no one speaks, the man continues. “I’m Richard Grayson, a representative for Wayne Enterprises.”

Lila gapes at him for a second before she is back on form. "Of course! You might know my mother. She's worked with Mr Wayne personally in the past." Alya's eyes light up but Richard only raises an eyebrow.

"Is that so?" He looks at Marinette then, and smiles genuinely. Lila doesn't look very happy about this. “You must be Miss Dupain-Cheng. I believe you’re joining us at the manor for dinner tonight.”

A pin could have been heard dropping. Marinette gaped at him for several seconds, unable to respond, but when Alya began to say, “_Mon dieu_, I think you must be mistaken -”

“That’s right,” Marinette interrupts, forcing a beaming smile onto her face. “Mr Wayne invited me. I’m Damian’s -’

“Pen-pal,” he finishes, “I know. I’ve wanted to meet you for a while now. I don’t think I’d ever seen him so much as smile before I saw him going over one of your letters.”

“You’re exaggerating,” she says, blushing.

“Not as much as you’d think,” he says dryly, “but yes, a little bit. He’s always smiled at his pets.” He discreetly eyes the rest of the class for a second before he finishes, “You’d best get your lunches, kids! There’s still the afternoon to come.”

As he turns to leave, he offers Marinette another kind smile and a subtle wink, and then just like that, he’s gone.

* * *

“I came because I heard the end times were upon us,” Jason Todd announces, throwing open the front door to Wayne Manor with a crash. “Alfred, tell me it ain’t so.”

“Tell you what ‘ain’t so’, Master Jason?” Alfred asks, moving to close the door as Jason paces around the tiled entrance hall.

“The Demon Brat has a _girlfriend_,” he says. “Timmy-boy told me last night and I didn’t believe him, but now Dick’s talking about her. Apparently he met her this afternoon, at Wayne Enterprises.”

Damian, descending the stairs in his best tailored casual clothes, only catches the tail end of what Jason is saying, but he freezes all the same and narrows his eyes.

“What are you talking about, Todd?”

Jason whirls to face him then, and points. “You! Demon Brat! What have you done to this poor girl?”

Unable to help himself, he bites back sarcastically, “I _talked _to her, Todd.”

“Now why would you do something that? What’s this girl ever done to you?”

Trying not to bare his teeth, Damian pushes past him and into the main living room. “Unlike you, Todd, I am not completely boorish.”

“You know how I know when you’re mad? You say my name, like, every other sentence. Why are you so obsessed with me?”

“You’re not meeting her,” Damian says.

“But I thought it was my job to save people in need.”

“_TODD_ -”

“Jason! You’re here!” It’s Drake, heaven help him. “Ready for 2k19? Think all the world’s computers will crash at once?”

“Neither of you are invited,” Damian snarls, fiddling aggressively with his jacket sleeves.

“Well you don’t have long to get rid of us, Baby Bird,” Drake smirks, “Alfred’s leaving to go fetch her now. Which is more important to you?”

He contemplates unleashing the wrath of the al Ghul on them both, but before he can move to do so he hears a car horn sound, and breaks for the front door instead. His brothers are laughing where he left them, but there are more important things.

* * *

Like Marinette, he thinks to herself, who practically glows when she smiles at him in the hotel lobby. She’s wearing an eye-catching jacket, black faux-silk stitched with blossoms of some kind, and pale mint dungarees. She looks lovely.

Damian clears his throat. “I - Your jacket is very fetching.” What an opening line. If his nightmare brothers could see this, it would make their years. He needs to get it together between here and the manor.

Marinette smiles. “Thank you! I made it myself.”

His eyebrows shoot up. “Impressive.” Think of something to say. “Are you all ready to go? Signed out, or something?”

“I signed myself out,” she says, following him out the door. “Ms Bustier doesn’t really pay all that much attention.” She hadn’t, ever since Mourning Star. Not for the first time, Marinette wondered what her teacher had been through during the attack. “She trusts me.”

“Bustier?” he asks. “Is she the red-head?” The one who ignored what had happened at the picnic lunch the day previous?

“That’s her!” Marinette says, injecting positivity into her tone. They come to an expensive car, a Rolls Royce, if she isn’t mistaken, and the Wayne family butler, Alfred, greets her with a smile.

“Miss Marinette, it is a pleasure to see you again.”

“You as well, Alfred,” she says, bowing her head for a moment. When they’re seated inside and the car is moving off, Marinette turns to Damian and says, “I think I met your brother earlier.”

He freezes. “Which one?”

“He said his name was Richard -”

“Grayson,” Damian finishes, deflating with relief.

“Yes. He was very nice.”

He hums lowly. “Yes, he does have a tendency to be that way. I’m trying to beat it out of him.”

For a moment, silence. Their eyes meet and Marinette purses her lips, before laughter comes bursting out of them. Relief sweeps Damian and he takes a second to enjoy it, before he joins his girlf- his Marinette - his _whatever_, in laughter himself.

Alfred eyes the pair in the mirror, caught between disbelief and wonderment. He thinks he might be witnessing something truly special.


	3. i. Mind Over Matter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette has dinner with the Waynes and everything is Fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope all my fellow UK-ers enjoyed Bank Holiday Monday (one of the best days of the year). It allowed me to work on this for longer than I would have had otherwise. Thank you all for reading, again!

If Bruce hadn’t been holding onto Jason and Tim by the scruffs of their jackets they would have been pressed up against the front door when it opened, and fallen through it onto Damian’s... _friend_.

He wasn’t exactly sure what she was to his son yet, though he had a pretty good idea of it, after what he had seen when Damian dropped her off at her hotel two nights previous. He clears his throat pointedly when he hears a car pull up outside, and the two twenty-something hangers-on immediately quieten down. If only they were this easy to control the rest of the time.

Before long, a voice is filtering to them from the front steps.

“I’ve really never seen a house like this before!” The voice is excited and heavily accented. Dick _had _said she was French. “It’s gorgeous.”

“It’s Gothic architecture,” Damian says importantly. Jason and Tim roll their eyes at each other.

“Be nice,” Dick hisses at them. They roll their eyes at him, then Alfred opens the door to let their guest in, and four pairs of eyes zero in. She’s slight of build and looking around the entrance hall apprehensively. For a moment, no one speaks. Then -

“If you’re being held against your will, blink twice, little lady,” is Jason’s introduction.

Ignoring Damian’s glare and Dick clearing his throat disapprovingly, Marinette actually smiles and says, “He couldn’t hold me against my will if he wanted to.”

“Confident! I like it. Name’s Jason. Jason Todd.”

“Marinette. Er - Dupain-Cheng.” She beams around at them all and says, “Thank you for having me in your home! Ah, again.”

“It’s our pleasure,” Bruce says, stepping forward with his most amiable face firmly in place. “This is Tim Drake, and I believe you’ve already met Dick.” Marinette nods at each of them, trying not to show her nerves. In the purse at her side, Tikki presses against her leg reassuringly. “Please, join us in the dining room.”

Damian, walking beside her, sees her mouth “dining room” to herself in disbelief, and suppresses a smile.

Dinner passes amazingly without incident, though Marinette seems intimidated by just about everything and Damian has no idea what he’s supposed to do about it - at least when his family is sat right there, all nosing in.

“I hope you have room for dessert,” Bruce says amiably. “Alfred’s key lime pie is world famous.”

She smiles at him. “Definitely. I missed breakfast and at lunch I - I wasn’t really feeling hungry, I guess.” At the alarmed look she receives, she laughs and says, “I don’t make a habit of skipping meals. In fact I’ve been doing a lot of stress baking recently. My therapist said it’ll help.”

“Help with what?”

“Your... therapist?” What was a girl as young as Marinette doing with a therapist?

“What do you have one of those for?” Dick asks, bewildered.

She shrugs, befuddled herself. “Everyone in Paris has one,” she tells them. “Half the kids in my class do. I thought people knew.” So... why didn’t they?

Each Wayne is staring at her like she has two heads, and Marinette realises that they _really don’t know_. They don’t know about Paris. They don’t know about _Hawkmoth_.

“You thought people knew about _what?”_ Jason asks, crossing his arms and frowning at her.

Then, she hesitates, reluctant to talk about it, to make it real in Gotham as well as in Paris. Thoughts of the city falling to ashes around her filter through her head and leave her somewhat breathless, but she can’t stop to linger on it because now all five of them are staring at her.

“About what’s happening in Paris.” Tim’s eyebrows raise slightly but other than that, there’s no outward reaction. “The - The Akuma attacks,” she forces out, and hears in the reflections of her memory the shrieks that rang across Paris as Mourning Star razed the Louvre. “It’s been happening for years now.” She can’t stop the disbelieving tone that enters her voice, because _did they really not know anything_ -

“Those are _real?”_ Dick asks, pulling a face.

“Of course they are!” she says, trying not to rear up when her everyday life, her suffering, is being called into question.

“Don’t say it in that tone of voice, Grayson,” Damian snaps from beside her.

“Sorry,” he says, “I just - Well, purple butterflies terrorising the city of Paris, turning people into supervillains... It sounded like the plotline of some kids show.”

“Well it’s not,” Marinette says, eyes downcast. Tikki’s purse is hung over the back of her chair, essentially unreachable, but her comfort would be nice right about now. “They’re real.” Very real. All too real -

She had heard metal screaming and concrete falling, and Rena Rouge had been crying incoherently in her ear - through the comms - about what? Then the first of the building collapsed in front of her and - 

“Marinette?” It’s Damian, and his voice is right there, in her ear. He sounds alarmed and it’s all she can do to stay upright in her seat -

And by the time Mourning Star was down, Marinette had been so enveloped in dust that she was completely grey, head to toe, the red and black of her suit obscured, gone -

“Marinette, you’re okay. _You’re okay_. _Can you hear me?_ I don’t think she can hear me.” Damian’s turning frantic now and Marinette knows that she’s having a panic attack because she _thinks_ she’s having a heart attack; this isn’t the first time since Hawkmoth’s rise to power that this has happened.

“Damian, don’t crowd her.” That’s Bruce talking, she thinks as her fingers clench painfully tight around the seat of her chair, which is oak, she thinks, and in front of her is her empty dinner plate, and she had been eating a fancy Italian dish of some kind.

_Breathe, Marinette_, she tells herself. _Deep breaths_.

Mourning Star was gone, Elise Bisset recovered more by the day, Paris was safe. _Breathe. Breathe_. She does. And she’s okay. She survived, and Paris was restored months ago. Not all of it at her hand; there had been too much damage for a beyond exhausted Ladybug to fix completely, but the city had pulled together. Everything was back to normal. She was okay. She was in Gotham, not Paris. She was sat at the dinner table of her pen-pal, Damian Wayne.

She breathed.

The panic passed, but her hands were still trembling from the aftershock. For several long seconds, everything was still. No one spoke or moved when Marinette finally raised her head. At some point, while she had been elsewhere, everyone else had moved, now frozen in varying stages of action.

“Are you okay?” Dick, who apart from Damian is the closest to her now, asks. His voice is pitched low and she manages a nod. “Panic attack?” Another, shakier nod and his eyes narrow infinitesimally. “That’s okay, I get them too.” He doesn't touch her, but it looks like he's stopping himself from reaching out, to pat her on the back, maybe? Hug her? She doesn't know. She doesn't care. She breathes in nice and slow, and tries to relax.

“We won’t ask about Paris,” Bruce says, in a tone that suggested he was saying it more to his boys than to her. Tim and Jason murmur their assent, eyeing her with concern, and she hears Jason mutter, “What the hell’s happening in Paris?” under his breath. Tim shrugs, but when Bruce levels a subtle glare at them, they fall silent.

Damian isn’t saying anything. He stares at her with a look in his eyes that’s utterly indecipherable. Marinette holds his gaze for a moment longer, then she clears her throat and sits up straighter.

“I - I’m so sorry,” she blusters, managing a weak smile, “I didn’t mean for that to happen.” Before any of them can interrupt, as they look wont to do, she continues, “Can we just pretend it never happened, please?” She must look pretty desperate, because to her surprise they agree and return to their seats, and dinner resumes, if not more stilted than before.

* * *

Damian wouldn’t know what to say even if his father hadn’t banned the subject. Akuma attacks in Paris...

Marinette said they had been happening for years, but they had never been mentioned in her letters to him. It was why he had dismissed the scant reports he had heard attesting to the villainous Hawkmoth. She had omitted mention of the attacks deliberately, for some reason, and a thought in the back of his head reminded him of what he had heard her say the day before. Morning star...

As Dick starts up a conversation with Jason and Tim, Damian leans over to Marinette. “Say the word and we leave.”

She looks over at him and smiles, shakes her head. “What about Alfred’s world famous key lime pie? I’d hate to disappoint.”

“You never could,” he says, utterly serious. A blush rises to her cheeks and she turns away, eyes on the glass in front of her. Damian has to try not to smile then, but the urge is killed completely when he looks up and sees Dick watching them with a disgustingly sappy grin.

Damian shoots him a glare, Dick raises his hands defensively which is _so like him _-

“So Marinette, what do you do in your free time?” His father, again. As awful at socialising as Damian has always considered his father, he has to admit that Bruce has held the evening together so far. He is watching Marinette curiously, waiting for an answer.

“Well, I design,” she tells him, brightening a smidge.

“She actually made the jacket she wore here tonight herself,” Damian can’t help but boast, looking around at them all imperiously. “The black one.” Marinette goes red again and shoots him a stern look at the same time as she tries to suppress a smile.

“Damian!” she protests. “It’s really not that much. There was a lot I could have done better -”

“Not a thing about it needs changing,” he insists. “It’s perfect.” _Like you are_. But he doesn’t say that last part. He’d never live it down if he did.

“No, really, it could do with better lining.” This seems more a thought to herself than a comment to him.

“That’s very impressive,” his father says, and Marinette laughs lightly.

“It will be, once it starts going somewhere.”

“You have plenty of time to build a brand for yourself,” Bruce says. “Have you spoken to anyone yet?”

She pauses to consider. “I did a few pieces for a musician to wear on stage,” she begins carefully. “And I’ve won a competition or two, spoken to some designers. Honestly, Instagram was my downfall. My friend kept posting stuff about me on there that isn’t very brand friendly, and business has been slow ever since.”

“You wanna dump that friend, little lady,” Jason says.

“She beat me to it,” Marinette says, then tries to laugh it off when Jason frowns. “It’s not so bad, really.”

“Who was the musician?” Dick asks. “Anyone we’d know?”

She goes a bit pink in the face and says, “Ah - I don’t know, his name’s Jagged Stone.”

“You’re joking,” Dick says. “You’re _joking_. You _know_ him? You’ve _worked _for him?” She nods and then he’s asking, “Who were these designers? What competition?”

Damian, feeling somewhat left out, says, “Chloe Bourgeois is a friend of yours, isn’t she? And I know Adrien Agreste is in your class. That’s two important brands right there.”

“I’m not sure I’d call Chloe my _friend_, but yes. Audrey and Gabriel have both appraised my work before.”

“_Very _impressive,” Bruce says, and at some point while talking about her work, Marinette has sat straight up in her chair, almost glowing with pride. She exudes confidence like this, Damian thinks. A vision in mint dungarees.

Dick is too stunned at Marinette knowing Jagged Stone to say much of anything else; he seems to spend the rest of the dinner in a fantasy world the rest of them aren’t privy to. Let him stay there, Damian thinks. If it stops him from staring between he and Marinette like a lovestruck teenager, let him do whatever he wants. (Damian can scoff at the idea freely, because is is _not _a lovestruck teenager, thank you very much. He is in_ total control_ of his faculties, at all times. He is the Son of Batman, an _al Ghul_ -)

“Damian?”

“Yes, Marinette?” he answers, turning to look at her quickly. Her hair shines under the light of the chandelier, he notices.

“I’m sorry,” she says, (and in the split second between that and the rest of her sentence, Damian’s heart skips a beat,) “but I should be getting back to the hotel."

“Right,” he says, at the same time as his father says, “Of course. We wouldn’t want to keep you.”

Damian’s looking like he rather _would_, actually. “Alfred will be happy to drive you.”

“Don’t trouble yourself,” she says, waving him off. “It’s cold out there.”

“See you later, little lady,” Jason calls, waving. “Don’t be a stranger.” Marinette smiles back and nods, and when Damian leads her to the entrance hall, she’s so light on her feet she’s almost skipping.

“That could have gone worse,” she says brightly.

“Indeed.” He glances about the place. They’re alone. Finally. “It was... _lovely_ to have you here with us tonight,” he says, testing out the unfamiliar word as it leaves his mouth. It feels right. All of this does.

“It was lovely to be here,” Marinette says, stepping closer to him without even realising. “I’ve never seen a house like yours before.”

“You said that already,” Damian says, a smirk teasing his lips.

One teases hers right back and in another rush of boldness, she says, “You know what?”

And before he can ask she kisses him. It’s long and lingering, under the light of yet another chandelier. He presses back against her with more pressure, and at some point, his hand has found its way to the small of her back. He holds her there for lord knows how long - to Marinette it feels like forever - but as soon as she can bring herself to, she pulls back. He chases her for a moment before standing straight again. She stares up at him; his pupils are dilated.

“I’ve done _that_ before too.”

* * *

The minute she’s out the door, the boys are looking into Paris’ villain situation, while Damian stares off into space and doesn’t even bother to _pretend_ he isn’t imagining himself somewhere else.

“Of all the things I was expecting out of her; horns, a devil's tail, anything else befitting Damian’s girlfriend, liking her wasn’t one of them,” Jason says.

“PTSD wasn’t one of them either,” Dick says worriedly.

“There’s a lot about this Parisian hero team,” Tim says, squinting at the screen. “Ladybug and Chat Noir are the ring leaders, but other heroes get brought up too. Queen Bee, Pegase, Ryuko...”

“Where’d you find that?” Jason asks, leaning over.

“Website called the Ladyblog,” he says. “Seems like it’s gone inactive. Nothing since a post three months ago, called -”

“Morning star?” a newly tuned in Damian asks, calling in his hunch.

The others stare at him, then look around at each other. “Some people _do _say that Beelzebub can read minds,” Jason says, and Tim nods, glancing back at Damian.

“Very mature, Todd,” he drawls. “I heard Marinette talking about it, and it’s been three months since she last replied to any of my letters.”

“Been pining for her?” Jason asks. “Counting the days? Asking your diary why she’s been blanking you?” His jabs are half-hearted though; this Hawkmoth business has him unsettled too.

“The Mourning Star post is a lot more... clinical than all the others,” Tim says. “It’s pure reporting of facts, nothing more. Previous updates have a bit more life to them. Lasted three days. Victim named Elise Bisset. The hero named Chat Noir was the one to finish it.”

“If this attack was as bad as it seems, maybe the author just didn’t feel comfortable talking about it,” Dick says. “What’s her name? Alya Cesaire.”

“She’s in Marinette’s class,” Damian says immediately. “They used to be very close.”

“Used to be?” Dick asks, raising his eyebrows, and Damian scowls at the thought of Lila Rossi.

“Don’t ask.”

“Says people _died _in this attack,” Jason says. He’s leaning over Tim’s shoulder, reading. “An estimated six hundred people were killed, and restored at the end of the three day siege by Ladybug’s Cure.”

“What - What the hell does any of that mean?” Dick asks, incredulous. “Have you hit your head?”

“No,” Jason snaps, “but I think this girl might have. Paris doesn’t have Lazarus Pools tucked away in every subway station, does it?”

“Restored by the Ladybug’s Cure,” Tim repeats. “What’s one of them when it’s at home?” A good question. Damian wishes he could answer. Luckily for them though, there was someone in the manor who could.

“The Ladybug’s Cure?” Alfred asks, from where he is stood at the door. “Did I hear you correctly?”

“Yeah,” Tim says, leaning back to look at him. “Why, do you know what it means?” He does, Damian knows; his face has become far too grave for a man who’s clueless.

“The Ladybug is a historical figure,” Alfred says carefully. “They have been here, since - Well, since the beginning, as far as anyone knows. They are a force for good, the embodiment of creation, and they have always wielded the power to cure the ills they see around them. Whatever else may vary, these things are always the same.”

“Wow Alfred, how’d you know all this?”

“I _did_ have quite a busy life before meeting you, Master Jason,” he said, and Dick whacked Jason’s arm.

“So this Ladybug hero, she’s really tens of thousands of years old?” Dick couldn’t hide his scepticism if he tried.

“Not at all, Master Dick. The _figure_ of the Ladybug is. The one guarding Paris now is, I’m sure, of a more natural age.”

“That’s a lot of power to wield,” Jason mutters.

Their attention is drawn back to Tim, who has been going over the article again, when he says, “You don’t think Marinette was, well...” He trails off, shifting uncomfortably.

Damian glares at him. “What, Drake?”

“You don’t think she was one of the ones who died, do you?”

Damian’s face goes blank. It's like the air has been punched out of his lungs. No. There was no way she had been one of them.

“I mean, I think anyone who got caught up in this incident would be faced with PTSD afterwards,” Dick said, glancing subtly at Damian. “Doesn’t mean she was one of the ones killed.”

“Good lord,” Tim breathes, sitting back and running a hand through his hair. “Why have we been leaving this alone? Why didn’t we know about it?”

“It’s out of the Justice League’s jurisdiction, isn’t it?” Jason asks. “The JL of _America_, y’know.”

“Doesn’t mean someone shouldn’t do something.”

“Someone _is _doing something,” Tim says. “This Ladybug, and her team of heroes.”

“This attack lasted for three days,” Dick points out. “Whoever these guys are, it seems like they’re starting to flag. It’d be helpful if we knew who any of them were. Then we could get some proper answers.”

“It would be helpful indeed, Master Dick,” Alfred agrees, turning to sweep from the room, a deep frown on his face that the boys, absorbed in the Ladyblog, all manage to miss.

Really, who elects such a young girl to wield the power of the Ladybug?


	4. i. Calm Before The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim goes detective on the Ladyblog, Marinette and Damian watch ships at the harbour (he falls in love and she yells at him), and Adrien is confronted with a harsh reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The suit that Ladybug wears in this universe is based on the one linked here: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/737394138959267376/  
It’s that of littleredsparrow’s from DeviantArt, I believe. I struggled to find the source - it wasn’t on their DeviantArt now - but someone who reposted it on Pinterest gave their name as the artist.

“Where’d you vanish to last night?” It’s Alix asking, her arms crossed and a curious look on her face as she leans back over her chair at breakfast the next morning, as Marinette sits down.

“Oh, I was, um - visiting my Gotham friend - I mean pen-pal. My pen-pal. He had me over for dinner at his house.”

“Cool,” Alix says, her face a blank slate. “My Gotham pen-pal collects belly button fluff. I’d rather not see him.” Marinette wrinkles her nose and tries not to think about it.

Everyone knows by now who Marinette’s pen-pal is, so no one comments. In the centre of the room, Lila fumes and schemes. There may be no Hawkmoth in Gotham to help her achieve her ends, but Lila was perfectly successful _before_ him, thank you very much.

She starts at the weakest point she can think of; no one knows what happened between Marinette and Adrien to make them grow apart, but Lila had been nurturing their split since day one. Time to call her hard work in.

So she whispers her words, her lies like spun gold, and watches something in Adrien’s eyes change. A smile begins to grace her lips before -

“Stop it, Lila.” Adrien looks angry, yes, but it’s at _her_. “Just stop it.”

People are beginning to look at them so she has to act fast. She laughs and tosses a sausage tail over her shoulder, and says, “Stop what, Adrikins?”

“You know what.” His voice is pitched low but it carries. “These last few months have been hard enough without -”

“Without what? I’m not doing anything, Adrien.” She curses herself for letting her tone take on a sharpness it didn’t need. She clears her throat and continues sweetly, “I’m just talking.” From the sidelines, Marinette is watching them nervously - waiting for something to kick off.

“No, you’re not,” Adrien says. “You’re trying to dig up the past. Trust me, it’s best left where it is.”

To hear him say it sends a shock of pain through Marinette. Though it’s been months and she’s told herself before that she’s over it, to hear the boy she knows was her Chat Noir say that makes her wish she were back in her loft in Paris, curled up safe and hidden away from the world.

Lila blinks then scoffs, and says, “I wasn’t trying to dig up anything, Adrien. You need to calm down.” And Alya grimaces at that, but she doesn’t protest Lila’s words as she did Marinette’s two days ago.

Adrien stares at the two girls long and hard, and for a second Marinette thinks that she sees the old familiar spark in them and she waits for him to hit back. But he doesn’t. He shakes his head, stands up and walks out. Everyone watches him go, but no one stops him. She must have imagined the spark.

A part of Adrien had died with Mourning Star, she knew. It was the part that had made him a hero.

* * *

More digging through the Ladyblog reaps reward; Tim finds a gallery of old photos, ones of several of the heroes he had seen mentioned on this website (and, after further searching, on a not insignificant number of small press news sites based in Paris). Chat Noir, Rena Rouge, Queen Bee, Carapace, and most interestingly to Tim, Ladybug. It's been two years since the last photo was uploaded, and it's one of Rena Rouge bounding across an open sky. There are plenty of photos from years before that, though.

Tim narrows his eyes at the screen - at a photo taken from the ground of Ladybug perched high upon a Parisian rooftop. He could swear there's something about her that he knows, but for the life of him, he can't pinpoint it.

Her suit is appropriately two-toned in black and red, but interspersed with subtle silver inlays. The gloves are black and go up to the elbow, there's red of her suit the rest of the way, and black ladybug spots adorn the shoulders. This repeated with her legs and boots, and the spots at her hipbone are concealed by an interesting - is that a _yoyo _at her side? The torso of the suit is black too, and another circular pattern, same as the one on her yoyo, is placed central to it. It's sensible. Aerodynamic.

Tim studies the suit for some moments more but nothing about it rings bells of recognition to him - so why is he so certain that he knows this woman?

"Found anything?" It's Dick, back from Wayne Enterprises before he heads out to Bludhaven for a couple of days.

"Just old pictures of these heroes," Tim says, turning to his brother. "Is it just my brain playing tricks on me, or do you recognise Ladybug too?"

Dick looks as well and his face takes on the same expression of recognition. "Maybe she just has one of those faces."

Tim hums unhappily. "Have the League said anything yet?" They all wanted answers for Marinette's panic attack the night previous.

"Bruce said he'd talk to them. Haven't heard anything yet, but knowing him, we won't hear anything until the League descends."

"Uh huh. And where's Damian?" There is a distinct lack of blood pouring from the walls at the moment, and Tim hasn't heard a single wolf howling, which could only mean the kid is out somewhere.

"He's stalking Marinette's class around Gotham," Dick says with a smirk. "Where else would be?"

Tim shakes his head, turning back to his laptop and downing the last dregs of his coffee. "This is the weirdest week ever."

* * *

"You still haven't taken Chat Noir's ring back, Marinette."

It's Tikki. She's been pushing Marinette ever since Master Fu first hinted that something needed to be done about the rogue cat about town; trying to set traps, contrive scenarios, anything to funnel Marinette towards action.

But Marinette didn't want to be funneled.

"I know, Tikki," she whispered to her bag. It was lunch time and she had snuck away from the rest of the group so she could speak to her small, spotted companion, who had been restless ever since she heard what Adrien said to Lila over breakfast. "I just can't do it. He's my partner, I - It's not fair! Why did Hawkmoth get to break him? Why did Chat let himself be broken?"

"That's not fair, Marinette, and you know it," Tikki scolds lightly. "He tried but he failed, and now you have to act. If it were the other way around, Plagg would be telling Chat Noir the same thing I am you. As his partner, you have to do what's best for him. As Ladybug, you have to do what's best for Paris."

"I know," she sighs, "I just -"

"Marinette?" It's Damian. She freezes and spins around to face him just as he gets close enough to see that her purse is open; she snaps it shut.

"Damian!" she exclaims. "What are you doing here?"

"I hope I'm not bothering you," he says lightly, glancing about at their surroundings; an uninspiring garden set amidst stretches of concrete. Marinette’s sketchbook remains tucked away. "I thought you might like the company."

His arrival has brought with it the attention of the class. Lila resolutely ignores everything, as if she thinks her inattention is some sort of punishment for Damian after he shut her down so publicly the other day. Lips twitching, Marinette thinks he might consider it more a blessing than anything else.

"I'd love the company," she says, beckoning him closer with a smile. From within her purse, Tikki taps on her leg as if to say "this isn't over". As if she could ever forget.

“Lets take a walk then,” he says, holding his arm out to her; she takes it and they move away from the concrete gardens. “I can think of several places nicer to lunch at than here.” And yes, he’s counting the back alley he got shot in last week among them.

They end up at the harbour and he leads her to a remote area of it deliberately; without crowds of people Marinette should be free to sketch if she wants to. The boats bob in the water before them and he sees her smile softly. Seconds later, she reaches into one of her jacket’s inside pockets and withdraws a small sketchbook.

Damian smiles to himself in a satisfied way; _nailed it_.

“So,” she begins slowly, after a minute, “what does a boy like Damian Wayne like to do in his free time, in a city like Gotham?”

Thinking that “sword fights, or practice fights, or generally just punching people” wouldn’t be an acceptable answer, he takes a moment to answer. “I like to come here,” he says. “I appreciate the view.” She is alternating between watching the boats and putting charcoal pencil to paper, the tip of her tongue poking out from between her lips. She doesn’t notice that he is gaze is fixedly on her.

“It’s beautiful, yes.”

She finishes her sketch, just a quick thing that she eyes critically before nodding at. They watch the ocean waves slap against the harbour wall far below and Damian has to marvel for a moment, at how incredibly_ at peace_ he feels. He smiles to himself, _again_. Forget Ladybug, _Marinette _must be magic.

“Thank you for coming to find me,” she says into the peaceful silence. The words almost seem to drift away on the cold breeze and a small smile curves her lips.

“As if I’d leave you stranded in Gotham,” Damian says. A tad dramatic, perhaps, and he usually isn’t (he _isn’t_) but he thinks the situation warrants. The class are either freezing Marinette out maliciously or so collectively dull that they don’t recognise what they’re doing. Whatever it is, he doesn’t care; he despises the lot of them.

“I’ve been reading about Paris since - last night,” he continues, stumbling over his words a bit because he almost said “panic attack”. Marinette tenses and so does Damian when he notices; in the back of his mind lingers the idea that Marinette _was _killed in Mourning Star’s attack. He isn’t above admitting that the thought chills him to the bone.

“Oh?” Her reply is kept carefully light. “What did you find?”

“This... Ladybug figure,” he begins, eyeing her from the side. She pales a little. “And her partner, Chat Noir.”

“What -” She clears her throat and begins again. “What about them?”

He faces forwards again and says, “Nothing. I just thought they were interesting.” Heroes powered by _magic _always are.

There’s a small pause. “Yes, I guess they are that.”

“You don’t like them.” It’s a statement, not a question, and already, before she’s answered, he’s reluctantly adding another tally to his mental “dead” list; if these supposed heroes let her _die_, she would dislike them.

“No, I have nothing against them,” Marinette says, and his tension drains away again. “I just - They’re a bit of a sore spot, recently.”

“Because of Mourning Star.” Her class had been talking about the attack in his presence. _Marinette _had talked about how much they had all struggled to recover. It must have been hell for her to live through. Live through...

He sighs heavily and shakes himself.

She blanches and nods. “They - Well, people think their partnership kind of fell apart after - after _her_. It’s a sore spot for everyone.”

“The akuma killed six hundred people before they stopped it,” he says flippantly. “Really, there’s no wonder -”

“_It was a terrible fight!_” Marinette bursts suddenly, and her accent is normally thicker when she’s angry; right now she’s _incensed_. Damian is so shocked that he jolts back from her. “No one could get close - They couldn’t _touch _her because she was scalding hot, she was _leveling entire buildings_ with a_ scream_, we couldn’t even _look at her because doing it burned_ \- And Elise Bisset is a _she _not an _it_, she was a victim too -”

“Alright, I’m sorry! I’m sorry.” Damian watches, wide eyed, as she pants for breath, on the verge of tears, _because of him_. Thinking that he couldn’t feel worse if he were hit by a ten-wheeler, he places a hand on one of her shoulders then rethinks it and puts a whole arm around both.

She is staring at the ground, fists clenched, when he says, “I really am sorry, Marinette. I - I didn’t mean to disparage them. It sounds like it was a tough battle.”

“You have no idea,” she says, and her voice is thick with emotion, but before he can apologise again she looks up and smiles shakily. It’s a dim imitation of her usual smile, but it still lights up the world around her, and for a second Damian thinks he can feel himself falling. “I want green tea. Is there anywhere close by to get some?”

As Damian leads her to the nearest Starbucks, Marinette can only breathe a sigh of relief that he hadn’t noticed her say “we”.

* * *

"Every time I close my eyes, I see her face," Adrien says, staring down at his lap.

"You - You gotta stop, kid," Plagg says, sounding just as weary. The last few months have been hard on them both. "It's not - It's not good."

Adrien's head snaps up, eyes suddenly alight. "Don't tell me that. Don't tell me to give Chat Noir up - To give _you _up. You're my friend. My only friend, it feels like." Certainly, he still has Nino, but Nino has Alya and since the two became a couple, they've felt more and more like a single identity, rather than two separate people.

"You're my buddy too, Adrien, but I've gotta think about what's best for Paris -"

"And that's not me?" he demands, leaping to his feet; the tiny god of destruction has to swerve through the air to avoid being bonked, and he hisses.

"Right now, no it's not," he says, eyes turned to green slits. "When we get home, I think you should go and see Master Fu. He'll -"

"_No!_"

"_Listen to me_, Adrien. _This isn't working anymore_." Plagg hasn't said it before now, but it's been hanging in the air between them like some kind of demon, and now that it's finally out there Adrien feels himself deflate.

It can't be over, but every sign points to it being that way. He remembers the last time Ladybug tried calling him out to an attack; a subway conductor had been turned and would have sent the entire carriage careening into a brick wall at top speed. Ladybug had arrived on the scene and caught it at just the last second - but she hadn't been able to stop it alone. She had needed his help, and he hadn't been there to offer it.

"I had to reconfigure my entire plan!" she had raged at him two days later, when she managed to track him down to a dingy back alley down one of the arrondissements. "I didn't have the power of destruction on my side so I had to improvise."

"You stopped it, didn't you?" he had asked, petulant.

"Barely," she said, the hands on her hips digging in. "I needed my partner, Chat, and he wasn't there. Where was he?"

But Chat Noir hadn't had an answer for her. He still didn't.

Queen Bee and Viperion had to be called in to help stop the train, in the end. Adrien hadn't been able to bring himself to listen to Nadja Chamak's rundown of the incident, but he knew that much.

"I can't stop, Plagg," Adrien croaks, his voice diminished. "I can't. It's all I have - all I am."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have it, kid," Plagg says, and Adrien has never heard his small friend sound more exhausted.

* * *

Before they leave the harbour behind them, Marinette grabs a couple more sketches of the boats, the sea and sky (and a discreet one of Damian that she hopes he didn’t notice). Done, she packs her book away and he asks her if she’s ready.

“When you are,” she says, brightened up since her tiring eruption earlier, and she takes the crook of his arm again as they walk away.

Somebody watches them leave from the shadows.


	5. i. The Princess And The Lunatic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit hits the fan, because of course it does. A familiar face plays his hand, and Marinette is forced into action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading, everyone. I posted part three of Darker Origins a few hours ago, to my Wordpress. I'd appreciate you checking it out!  
https://thetearoom844.wordpress.com/2019/09/02/miraculous-darker-origins-part-three-a-game-of-guardians/

When they reach the hotel the sky behind them is the colour of sugared almonds and splashed through with gold; the sky ahead of them is dark and cloudy, and for some strange reason it makes Damian rather nervous. He’s not normally so concerned with the meteorological make-up of Gotham.

Marinette turns to him at the door and smiles. “I’m sorry that I sorta freaked out on you back there.”

“No, it was my fault,” he says, “I shouldn’t have been talking about Ladybug and Chat Noir like I knew them.”

“No, you shouldn’t,” Marinette says, but she’s smiling and her tone is teasing. “So will I be seeing you again soon, or have I completely scared you off?”

“As if you could scare me off,” he says, all the while thinking to himself that she had actually been quite scary, yes. “Perhaps you could come over for dinner again tomorrow. My eldest brother, Richard, is out of town for a couple of days, so there won’t be any nosying from him.”

“I like your brothers,” Marinette says.

“Would you like to _have _them?” She starts laughing, but he was only half-joking. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” He’d rather not be leaving her here, at this damned hotel, where she’ll likely be spending the night sat alone, but she had insisted.

“Don’t go sending any more Robins after me,” she says, teasing again. “Just texting will do.”

“Noted.”

She leans into him and his breathing turns shallow, until she presses a kiss to his cheek, and he stops breathing completely. As she pulls away his eyes meet hers and he knows his are blown wide; how she manages to consistently take his breath away is beyond him, but she does it nonetheless. Perhaps there are some things he just isn’t meant to understand.

* * *

It all kicks off, because of course it does. It can’t be that simple, for him to spend the day with a nice girl and for him to then go home, peacefully. As soon as Damian turns the corner he knows that something is wrong. The feeling persists until he’s five minutes away from the manor. His phone rings and he answers immediately.

“The Joker’s taken hostages.” It’s his father speaking, and Damian feels like ice water has just been thrown over him; he’s clearly speaking through the cowl. “At the Gotham Hotel.” Damian swears and hangs up, then runs the rest of the way home.

In record time his uniform is on and he’s forcing Drake into the backseat of the Batmobile. Normally the supercar moves at what Damian considers an acceptable speed, but not tonight. Tonight, it might just be moving the slowest it ever has, and he’s near out of his mind when they arrive at the hotel he had only bid Marinette good night in front of an hour ago.

“How did Joker even get out of Arkham?” Drake asks.

“Must have used the distraction of the Riddler being brought in,” his father growls. “Concentrate.”

“But he’s got the entire hotel plotted out. How long has he had to plan all this?”

Damian doesn’t care for the inane questions. It doesn’t matter _how _Joker got out, all that matters is putting him _back in_ and then making sure he never sees the light of day again.

He tuts and swoops down on Commissioner Gordon, who stands talking to a group of officers outside; there’s a battalion of emergency services gathered in the street, which has been cordoned off. There’s no need for that, he thinks to himself. Once people know the Joker’s in there, they won’t come near.

“What’s going on?” he asks of Gordon - or commands, more like. The older man turns to him with a frown and in the background, Damian hears his father issuing orders to Drake. Damian ignores them.

“The Joker’s taken hostages inside the hotel,” Gordon says. “We don’t know what he wants, but some of the guests managed to escape. Some he let go - we’re not sure why - but he has a few guests held inside, along with a class full of kids from France. Here on a trip,” he adds, but Damian is too busy cursing the Joker to notice. For half a second there (and it had been a lovely half second) he had imagined that Marinette had escaped, or even been let go, but no.

No.

Instead, the Joker - the mad, mad Joker - holds her in his decayed clutches. Damian sees red, but before he can make any sort of move a hand is on his shoulder, anchoring him to the ground.

“Batman,” he growls, “_let me go_.”

“No,” his father says. “You’ll do something reckless. We need to know more before we can do anything.” Gordon is watching them suspiciously, and for the first time, Damian realises how transparently he is behaving. He takes several deep breaths, forces himself to calm down, and turns to face Batman with an appreciative nod. Batman nods back, once as well, and Damian moves to join Red Robin, who is observing the hotel.

“From the outside, you’d think nothing was going on in there,” Drake says. Damian just grunts, and then he feels Drake’s eyes on _him_. “We’ll get her out of there,” he says lowly.

Damian stands straighter and crosses his arms. Sneering, he says, “I don’t need _you _to tell me that, Red Robin.” But even as Drake sighs and moves away, Damian’s eyes return to the spot, only a few feet away, where Marinette had kissed him for the first time.

A phantom tingle ghosts his lips, and he steels himself for the long night to come.

* * *

“Well... don’t _you_ just make this more interesting?”

The man’s eyes are permanently just _slightly _widened and he watches Marinette with an increasingly unnerved grin, partially painted on, she can see, but mostly real, cut into his skin. She holds her breath involuntarily and when he seems to pick up on her revulsion, the grin takes on a sharper, more malicious edge.

“I... _saw _you,” he tells her. “You, holding hands with, ah... _Damian Wayne_, at Gotham harbour. Now... why would the son of Bruce Wayne take any interest... in a girl from Paris?” _Damn_. Is Damian really so antisocial that any friends he makes become fodder for villains’ fascination?

He’s circling now and the clown-masked henchmen that surround them keep their weapons trained on her, to stop her from - _What?_ Running? Fighting? If her time as Ladybug has taught her anything about survival, it’s to know when to keep your head down and bide your time.

“I... _wonder_... just what the son of Wayne... would do... to get his pretty... little... girlfriend back, nice and safe and _sound_.” He doesn’t touch her but he doesn’t _have to_, and she thinks he knows this very well. His smile drops completely for the first time, which is almost as unnerving as the grin itself had been, and he says, “Give me your bag.”

She grips the strap tighter on instinct and says, “I - What?”

“Your bag, princess,” he repeats, and her skins crawls. “I need to know there’s no weapon, hidden away in there, that someone who Damian Wayne dates would have.” But he doesn’t wait for her anymore, just reaches over and snatches it away.

Her breath catches and then she holds it as the Joker opens her small bag, peering inside. There’s nothing in there, except for her coin purse...

And Tikki.

The villain’s brow creases ever so slightly and he plucks the small kwami out, holding her by the head between his thumb and forefinger. Thankfully, tens of thousands of years have given her a lot of time to learn to play inanimate, and she shows not a sign of life.

A mad smile cracks the Joker’s face and he cackles.

“Oh,” he says, “_oh_, you’re coming with _me_.”

Her classmates are crowded inside, along with a few other guests who had failed to escape. A shiver rips up Marinette’s spine when the gun nudges her roughly in the back and she’s forced into the room. The fear is palpable; it hits her as soon as the Joker closes the door behind himself. She sees it on her classmates’ faces and smells it in the air, but she cannot become a part of it.

What if he killed her though? What would happen to Paris if Ladybug were to die in a hotel in Gotham, _America? _But no. She has to focus on the immediate situation, and she feels herself slip into Ladybug mode _properly_ for the first time in months. She stiffens her spine, and her upper lip (Alfred would be proud) and allows herself to be marched towards the group.

The Joker is an unknown quantity; _anything _could set him off, but she’s safest when she’s presenting herself as a non-threat. Speaking of...

A pale-faced Alix scoots over and makes room for Marinette between she and Chloe, who once might have been in floods of tears over something like this, but her time as Queen Bee has made a tough girl of Chloe Bourgeois, and she glares at the Joker with such open contempt that Marinette is worried she’ll get herself killed.

“Thanks, Alix,” she says in her calmest voice, once she’s sat down, before hissing to Chloe, as the Joker turns his back, “_Calm down!_” Chloe transfers her glare to Marinette then, but that doesn’t matter.

She’s hoping her own steady nerves will spread through the group, like osmosis; Max is hyperventilating in the corner, a far cry from the Pegase who had opened a portal into a collapsing building to save her life three months ago. Rose has her face hidden behind her knees and even Ms Bustier is dangerously pale. Ivan and Juleka have shut down completely, as if waiting for the situation to go away. That’s just how some people deal with these situations.

It’s clear that someone needs to take charge here. It had may as well be Marinette. When isn’t it, really?

The Joker has moved to the front of the room, blocking the door and the only obvious route of escape. He is still watching her, weighing her up, trying to decipher why Damian Wayne would be interested in her. How much he could leverage her for.

Marinette hopes he takes his time deciding.

* * *

Red Hood arrives silently, in contradiction to his large frame. Damian doesn’t stop to greet him; he’s busy scoping out the front of the hotel, looking for a safe way in, but he can see a clown-masked hitman in every window. No obvious way in.

Drake greets Todd and his irritating voice grates on Damian’s already shot nerves.

“Hey,” Red Hood says. “Catch me up. What’s happening?”

“Joker’s holding a bunch of French school kids hostage and Robin’s preparing to commit a hate crime,” Red Robin says, meeting Red Hood’s eyes - or his eye slits; a big fuck-off helmet doesn’t make “meeting eyes” easy.

“We’re already a man down to deal with this,” Red Hood says. “Nightwing’s out of town, as are the other Robins for... the next little while.” He’s watching a nearby cluster of officers, listening in rather obviously. “We’re on our own.”

“Can’t we call any of them back?” Red Robin asks, watching Robin pace up and down the path outside the hotel like a caged lion.

“They’re all _busy_,” Red Hood says. “_Hey, Robin_, are you gonna come help or is strolling around doing nothing all a part of your grand scheme?” Robin rears up at that, which is probably part of Red Hood’s plan to spur him into action, but it might work a bit too well; Robin curses them out and effs and blinds, calling them both every name under the sun (and even some Red Robin has never heard before), but he finally stops pacing and hunkers down to plan.

“We need to speak to the Joker,” Robin says. “We need to know what he wants.”

* * *

“How long are we going to be trapped in here?” It’s the question everyone is asking themselves, but Marinette knows that law enforcement is going to have to take their time here. There’s no room for haste.

“What if we’re here all night?” Rose asks.

Lila scoffs, any thoughts of her usual pretenses gone in the face of real danger. “This is _the Joker_,” she sneers with a surprising level of aggression. “How long we’re here for isn’t what _I’m _worried about.” This has Rose wailing and Ms Bustier pulls herself together for long enough to put her arms around the girl.

Marinette is working fast, or trying to. They would need a back up plan if things went south; a way out, or a way to _try _and defend themselves should they _have to_, but she won’t give up her identity over anything. Not even this. She’ll have to do it without Tikki’s power.

“We shouldn’t be just sitting around! We should be doing something!” Alya insists, glaring around the room.

“The police know we’re here,” Marinette says tiredly. “Batman will too. We just need to - sit tight.”

Even _she _can hear the grimace in her voice as she says this, but it’s true, loathe as she is to admit it. She despises inaction as much as, if not more than, everyone else in the room, but she knows when to play the hero and when to sit still and let someone else do it.

Nobody looks convinced so she continues, “I know it _feels _like it’s just us versus him, but it’s not. There are loads of people outside right now working to save us. We have to let them.” Unless prompted otherwise, she thinks to herself. Better have an idea of what to do if worst comes to worst. “We all have to stay calm and complacent. No shouting, or mouthing off, or trying to _fight him!_ If we do that it’ll only end one way.”

Rose, months of shameful silence forgotten in the moment, is nodding along frantically to everything Marinette says, but some predictable others have different ideas. “Oh _please_. We’re not all as happy to do nothing as _you_.”

“Shut _up_, Rossi,” Chloe groans. “I don’t know anyone more ‘bark worse than bite’ than you.” Lila goes red in the face but is prevented from answering back by the door opening. The Joker is back. His smile makes Marinette’s skin crawl.

The Joker is many things, she deduces, but a physical fighter is not one of them. The clown-masked henchmen and the gun testify to this. If she has to, she might be able to get the jump on him. In the years since she first became Ladybug, she has become quite the skilled fighter, and as long as she keeps the element of surprise on her side, she _might _just have a hidden advantage.

“Now, my little... _hostages_.” He says the word like he’s tasting it in his mouth. Marinette just hopes everyone heeds her advice. She also hopes she’s not completely misguided in it. “Whats say we start with a little... bit... of fun?” Everyone around her looks ready to be sick on the spot. “_Batman _is outside, right now! He’s waiting with his little Robins and his police... but none of them can do anything. Know why? Because I have this whole building _rigged to go up!_ And if they come... _barging in here_, with their _batarangs _and their _guns_, I’ll _blow us all sky high!_” Mylene can’t stop herself from releasing a sob at that, and Marinette could curse out loud when the Joker’s eyes flick to her for half a second.

“Now see here comes the fun part,” he continues, hunkering down conspiratorially, “because one of you gets to come... with... _me_, and plead for all of your _miserable _lives to them!” And Marinette knows before he’s finished speaking who he will be taking outside.

Mylene can’t pretend to be anything but terrified as the Joker’s dead eyes land on her, and she sobs as he grabs hold of her, yanking her to her feet and dragging her to the door, keeping his gun trained on Ivan, who has lost his stoic mask and looks like he wants to go after them.

“We won’t... be long... at all,” he says, keeping his grip on Mylene tight. “Don’t go anywhere,” he adds as an afterthought, and then he leaves the room cackling, and she just hears the lock click into place over it.

Chaos erupts, and people are shouting - _shouting at her_, at Marinette, but she can’t listen to them right now; this is a crisis, a _Ladybug crisis_, and she needs to think.

It seems as if the only way out of the room is through the door the Joker holds the key to. That’s probably why he chose it -

Marinette gasps, silencing the room. “Are there any maps of this place available online?”

* * *

Robin is watching the entrance when he first appears. A gun in one hand and a hostage in the other, the Joker emerges from the shadows, grinning. Robin’s heart jumps into his throat until he sees that it isn’t Marinette, no. It’s one of the girls from her class, though. Mylene, he thinks.

Mylene trembles in his grasp and looks like to make a run for it, but a low word, hissed into her ear, keeps her still and silent. Beside him, Todd growls low in his throat. Batman approaches his nemesis, stopping only when Joker shoves the barrel of the gun against Mylene’s head. She squeezes her eyes shut and cries, silently.

“What do you want, Joker?”

A nasty smile curves his deformed lips and the Joker crows, “Oh, wouldn’t _you _like to know, Batsy?” Terse silence meets his question, and the Joker chuckles into it. “My little friend here...” He jostles Mylene, who tries to make herself smaller. “Would like to ask you all, _nicely_, to save her and all of her classmates from... What was it, ah... _Mylene?_”

She sniffles again and her English is hard to understand through her tears; heavily accented at the best of times, Robin has to strain to understand her now. “He - He has men with guns r-ready to sh-sh-_shoot us_ if you try to - to storm the building. Don’t try to - to trick him.”

“_Ah!”_ the Joker cries, and Mylene jumps so violently that they all do too_. “_That was it, that was... _it_.” His voice goes to a lower register, more threatening. “So you’d better listen, _Batsy_, and listen well. There’s somebody... I’d like to talk to. Somebody I believe you know.”

Sick of the games, Batman growls, “Let the girl go, Joker.”

“No no no. _No_. You’re not... _listening_. There’s somebody that _you _know, that _I _want, and if I don’t get to speak to him, all those - those kids, in there? They all get the bullet.”

Robin is antsy, so desperate to rush the madman that he only just manages to keep still. At his side, his brothers too stand tense; Todd in particular looks as if he would like nothing more than to shoot the fucker point blank, but they all know better. The Joker could have anything planned. But meanwhile...

Meanwhile, Marinette remained trapped inside the hotel, at the mercy of the madman and his gun-for-hire goons. Robin is so restless he could tear his own skin off. For goodness sake, whatever - _whoever _\- the Joker wanted, just let them be fetched, because he would rather have anyone at the Joker’s mercy than Marinette -

“Bring me Damian Wayne,” Joker says, his grin turned feral. At his side, Drake swears softly and Todd sucks in a breath. Robin - _Damian _\- doesn’t hear them. His father’s spine has gone rigid. “There’s somebody I want him to say ‘hi’ to.”

* * *

Amazingly, it’s Chloe who ends up being the only help.

“What do you want with a map of the building?” Any other time, it might have been a dismissive question, mocking or otherwise disparaging, but right now Marinette thinks Chloe might be in Queen Bee mode like she’s in Ladybug mode, and a spark of hope lights in her chest.

“The Joker put us in here so we couldn’t get out,” she says, leaning in. Amazingly, Chloe leans in as well. “No windows, only one door which he keeps locked, but these old baroque hotels have vents. _Big ones_. Maybe if we can get to know the building better, we can think of something. Catch my drift?”

“I thought you said we were supposed to sit here and wait for him to kill us.”

Marinette ignores Lila; she’s got _far _better things to do right now. Chloe doesn’t. “He just told us he’s going to blow us up, _Dumbo_,” she says. “Of course we’re moving.”

“Does anyone have a phone?” The Joker had confiscated all of them when he entrapped them, but there’s always a chance -

“I do.” It’s Max, her old Pegase, who _of course_ would have a decoy. He hands it to her and she’s quick to turn it on.

“Someone go sit by the door,” she commands. “Signal if you hear him coming back.” She gets down to work, and then for fifteen minutes, the room is plunged into silence; most are too scared to talk and Chloe glares those who aren’t into submission.

It’s another five minutes when Alix, perched by the door, starts waving her arms madly, and Marinette chucks the phone back to Max, a plan formed in her head and her heart hammering. They all resume their previous positions and are still and compliant by the time the lock clicks.

Mylene, chilled and shivering, is pushed back into the room and the Joker glares around at them all, gun toted in his hand, before he slams the door shut and locks it again. Marinette waits only a second, as Ivan rushes to his girlfriend’s side, to spring into action.

“Are you okay, Mylene?” “What’s happening out there?” “_Are they coming to get us?_”

“We need to be quick,” Marinette says over the noise, effectively silencing it. She moves over to an old chest of drawers and pushes it across the room to reveal the vent grate behind. “The vents aren’t strong enough to hold more than a few of us at a time, so the sooner we start getting people out, the better.” The Americans look completely lost, so she adds, “Ms Bustier, translate!” To the teacher’s credit, she jumps right to it as Marinette takes a deep breath and turns to Adrien.

He’s pale and can’t decide if he wants to meet her eyes, but she persists. “I’ll hang back to bring up the rear, make sure everyone’s okay on this end, so I’ll need someone to lead the group out.” She’s staring at Adrien but he’s avoiding her gaze, deliberately. She wants to be heartbroken at the sight, but there’s no room for it now. She gives it a second, then another, perhaps too long, before she gives up.

“Chloe,” she says instead, turning to her blonde ally. “You’re going to lead the charge.” A chorus of “_WHAT_” ripples through the room, including from the girl herself.

“You want _me _to do it?” she asks. “_Why?_”

Marinette meets her eye and, very seriously, asks, “_Can I trust you?_” Something changes in Chloe’s eyes changes; her jaw drops slightly and hangs there for a second, and Marinette knows that _she knows_, but there’s no time to dwell on it.

Chloe straightens her spine and, ignoring all the protests still coming from their classmates, nods once, resolute. “You can count on me, _Marinette_.”

“Then go,” she says, “we don’t know how long we have left.” Chloe is the consummate professional, and she leads their fellow hostages into the open vent without a backwards glance. “One at a time,” Marinette says. “We don’t want to make too much noise, or risk a vent collapsing. We need to space this out.”

Mylene is one of the first to go, naturally, and no one tries to stop her. Rose is next, and then Lila pushes Alya out of the way to get in next. Then it’s Max and Nino, then Juleka, Sabrina, Kim...

The American guests also get out and the hostage numbers are slowly dwindling, but Marinette won’t be happy until they’re all out, and looking at who remains; Nathaniel, Alya, Ivan, _Adrien_, and she herself of course, she feels a deep, unshifting dread.

Then she hears the door unlock, and her heart _drops_. Marinette turns slowly, determined that he won’t see her looking scared even as she ushers a horrified Alya into the vent and moves herself in front of it to stop him from reaching in and pulling her back.

The Joker’s duality shows itself, because he’s not laughing now as he takes in the almost empty room, eyes slowly roving around...

Until they come to rest on Marinette and a snarl twists his lips as he reaches into his jacket pocket and he withdraws a switchblade. Beside her, Nathaniel draws in a sharp breath, and Adrien’s hands clench into fists, but they go ignored; the Joker _knows _who did this.

“Time, I think, for a little _carving_...”

* * *

The vents provide them a working crawl space, but only just. Chloe grits her teeth and ignores the pain building in her knees; she’s had far worse before. This doesn’t stop her from cursing though. The Joker, for attacking their hotel in the first place, herself, for accepting to lead the charge to safety, _Adrien _for ignoring the call that was so clearly meant for him, and herself, _again_, for having never realised that _Dupain-Cheng is Ladybug_.

“_Can I trust you?_” she had asked, in exactly the same tone of voice that she had used before, as Ladybug, offering out the Bee Miraculous.

“Can I trust you,” Chloe repeats to herself, scoffing. She crawls towards freedom right now, with Mylene so tight up behind her that she’s almost up her ass, powered by nothing but spite. And she knows she’s being vulgar, yes, but the Joker has without a doubt brought her dearly needed Gotham excursion to a screeching halt. As Chloe finally barks out an order for everyone to “_Stop moving, goddamn it!_” that echoes so loudly through the vent it makes her ears ring, she curses the universe itself.

She has come to the end of the vent shaft, and stopped at the grate that leads to the outside. Leaning back (and into Mylene, who squeaks and shuffles back as if her life depends on it), she kicks out with all her might and the vent grate goes flying away from the wall and sails high over the heads of the assembled rescue teams on the ground. They all stop what they’re doing in sync, and turn their heads to gape up at Chloe, who glares down at them from above.

The night air hits her face and she breathes a sigh of relief which is echoed by the steadily building line of hostages behind her. Well, the soon to be ex-hostages. “Thanks to me...”

Down on the street below, the emergency services have scrambled to fetch a ladder and crash mat. The ladder, they extend and prop up just below the vent opening. They’re gesturing for Chloe to come down, trying to encourage her onto the mat by patting it like morons. Refusing outright to end her night by jumping onto the blue linoleum nightmare, Chloe instead takes her time climbing down the ladder, and once she reaches the bottom, is bundled up into a _ridiculously_ ugly shock blanket, not unlike the one she had wrapped around the shoulders of Elise Bisset, and dozens of other akuma victims before.

Though, she muses, as slowly her classmates start to join her on the ground, it might have been nice to have on of these blankets herself, after Mourning Star.

“Miss, if you wouldn’t mind talking to me for just a moment...”

Chloe looks down from the vent opening, into the face of an aged police officer. He smiles warmly at her and asks, “Do you speak English, Miss? Would you like a translator?”

“I am fine,” she says. “My father had me learn English.” His brow lightens somewhat and he looks up to the vent she had spent the last few minutes watching. There are still about ten hostages to come out, Marinette and Adrien among them. She sees Rose Lavillant appear, clutching at the hand of Ms Bustier, who is squeezed into the vent directly behind her.

She turns back to the officer, who introduces himself as Gordon. “What do you need to know?” Behind the man’s back, the local heroes have convened and they’re discussing something in angry, quiet voices; Batman, the Red Hood, Red Robin... and regular Robin, who is ignoring whatever his boss is saying in favour of watching _her_.

“Just about how you got out,” Gordon says. “I know it may be hard, but I need to know what happened in there.”

So she tells him everything she can think of and doesn’t react when Robin slowly drifts over to listen. Batman stares at his back but doesn’t stop him or draw him back.

“The plan had been to sit still and look as non-threatening as we could manage until rescue got inside, but then Joker told us about the bomb, and -”

“The bomb?” Robin repeats as Gordon’s eyes go wide and he turns to call out to his officers.

“_You didn’t know about it?_” she shrieks. “He has the entire hotel rigged to blow up! That was why we had to move!” Robin seems frozen in place and doesn’t reply, but she sees his eyes moving behind his mask; he’s searching the crowd of hostages.

Chloe’s eyes narrow but she hasn’t the time to think on it as Gordon pauses in his issuing of new orders to turn back to her and say, “You did very well, Miss Bourgeois.”

“Thanks,” Chloe replies tersely, before she continues, somewhat begrudgingly, “but this wasn’t me, not really. My fr- _classmate_, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, she came up with the plan. She found the escape route and figured out how to get everyone to safety. I was just following her orders.” Robin starts at that and he stares at her, unblinking, and if she’s being honest, pretty unnerving.

But something still feels wrong, and the realisation of what it is hits her as Cesaire hits the crash mat and cries out, “_Joker got them!_ He came back! No one else got out!”

_Shit_.

Chloe’s expression hardens even as Damian feels his heart jump into his throat. “Now she’s trapped in there, _alone_, with the Joker. And he knows it was her who got the rest of us out.”


	6. i. When It Rains It Pours.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Damian make some Pro Gamer Moves, the Batfam have a Plan, and Adrien is a Chat Who Can. Kind of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are! Thank you so much for the amazing response this story has seen so far! As with all my writing projects, a silly little two-parter has sprawled into a massive, multi-chaptered story, and we’re not at the end yet - not nearly.

“I don’t care how we do it, I want those kids away from him,” Red Hood snaps, which is understandable; he’s been up close and personal with the Joker once before in his life, and that once was enough. He’s bristling as they speak, shifting and trying to reign in his temper.

“I know how we do it,” Robin says. “Let me go in.”

“_No_,” Batman says.

“Yes. It’s -” He breaks off, glances about, and goes again, his tone lowered. “It’s me he wants, for whatever reason. I can handle the Joker.”

“You sure about that, kid?” Red Hood, again.

“I’m going in there with or without your support. You think you’ll be able to stop me?”

Red Robin laughs a humourless laugh and says, “He thinks we can’t stop him.”

“I mean it,” Robin insists, glaring around at them. “He has her, he’s going to _hurt _her, she needs help. We can’t waste any more time debating this!” They don’t look especially convinced and Robin is getting desperate. “I don’t ask for anything,” he says, and it’s true; normally he just goes ahead and does something, then waits to be forgiven afterwards. “I’m _asking_ you for this. Let me save Marinette.” They don’t respond immediately, but he watches the way his father’s chest moves up then down in a sigh, and he knows he’s won. “I’ll need to be quick. I’ll take the Batmobile -”

“No.”

“I know _how_ -”

“_No_.” His father is walking to the drivers side door before Robin can think to do so himself. “Red Robin, Red Hood, you two keep a hold on things here. We won’t be long.” Neither reply, and as Robin climbs into the passenger seat, he sees Red Hood lash out, punching the side of the armoured truck they had convened by.

* * *

While Robin changes out of this uniform and becomes Damian Wayne, Batman crowds close to Alfred in the Batcave and grumbles to him, because the current object of his irritation is for once in his life refusing to answer back.

“He’s stubbornly ignoring all reason,” he growls. “Totally hellbent on going in there and confronting the Joker himself.”

“Yes,” Alfred says. “I can’t imagine where the young lad gets it from.” Batman either doesn’t hear the tone in his voice, or chooses to ignore it.

“I understand his want to save Marinette, but giving in to the Joker’s demands isn’t the way to go about it.”

Alfred raises his eyebrows and turns away, heading for the monitors. “Indeed. I’m sure Miss Marinette can take care of herself.”

Batman frowns beneath the cowl. “I’m not taking her safety _lightly_, Alfred.”

As he moves away to call for Damian to hurry up, Alfred mutters, “Neither am I, Master Bruce.”

They return to the scene some twenty minutes after they left it, Damian as himself in civilian garb, and watching his face in the rear view mirror, trying to school his expression into one appropriately fearful. He does such a good job of it that he almost laughs out loud, but he catches himself at the last minute.

Before exiting the car, his father says, “Be careful in there, Damian. Save Marinette, but don’t make yourself a target.” He rather thinks he’s making himself a target by volition of nothing more than walking into the hotel, but he doesn’t say this.

Instead, he says, “I know, father,” patting his jacket pocket to make sure his back up plans are definitely there. They are. “I’ll be careful.” Bruce seems to want to add something then, but he doesn’t know how to say it and Damian knows it anyway. “Lets go,” he says. “We don’t have all night.”

Damian gets out of the Batmobile and avoids the sharp stares of his brothers. He walks past the watching officers and ignores the wide-eyed gazes of Marinette’s classmates. The blonde, Bourgeois, crosses her arms and narrows her eyes at him but she makes no move to speak. The one they call Lila is busy wailing to anyone who will listen, in alternating English and French, but she falls silent when she notices his presence.

In the packed out street you could hear a pin drop as Damian crosses it, and pushes open the front door to the hotel before anyone can stop him. Inside, silence reigns as well. Then out of nowhere, a clown-masked henchman appears and takes him by the arm.

“It’s about time you got here,” he says. “The boss was getting restless.” And he drags Damian off - but not upstairs where he knows Marinette is. He takes him down the low lit corridor ahead, destination unknown.

* * *

The Joker is upon Marinette, somehow before she can even think to _move_, and the blade in his hand is raised, reaching for her, _ready to carve -_

But before the Joker can even raise the knife over his head, Adrien’s old training kicks in and the heel of his shoe slams into the Joker’s arm. The blade goes sailing and for the moment, Marinette is safe. She catches Adrien’s eye and shoots him a grateful look. He’s deathly pale and hesitates, but he nods back, just once -

“_Adrien, look out!_” Nathaniel cries, but the Joker moves faster than any of them can blink and in a heartbeat, he has Adrien by the throat, snarling, “_Fucking kids_. Now none of you move, or -”

“I think we can guess,” Ivan says, glaring and spurred on by the sudden shift in tempo. Marinette’s breath catches and she waits for the backlash, but none comes.

Not wanting to risk anyone making things worse, she tells them, “Just do as he says.” The boys meet her eyes and nod, reluctantly.

“The girl has it right,” Joker says. “Now you all just stay... where... you... _are_, and no one else gets hurt.” _Yeah right._ She thinks that highly unlikely, but she’s not going to say it. The Joker retains his grip on Adrien. “The rest of you... sit back down.” They do, reluctantly, and Marinette knows better than to sit close to the vent opening. Cold air drifts to her from it and reminds her of how close she had come to getting everyone out. It's a bitter pill to swallow.

For a few minutes, the Joker watches them and mutters to himself. Adrien remains in his grip but he can at least breathe. That’s more than Marinette would be doing now if he hadn’t rid the Joker of his knife, she’s sure. She tries to figure out how to save Adrien, who has gone a sickly grey colour, when suddenly the door _bangs!_ open. Her heart leaps into her throat and she hopes it might be Batman -

But it’s one of the clown-masked henchmen instead, and she takes a step towards Nathaniel and Ivan, ready to defend them if she has to.

“What the hell are ya doing?” Joker demands of the man, keeping hold of Adrien’s throat.

“You - You said to tell you if anything happened, boss,” he says. “You’ll wanna see this - down by the swimming pool.” The Joker’s grip on Adrien slackens and the blond is able to move away, taking shallow breaths. Nathaniel and Ivan crowd him immediately, but Marinette has eyes for no one but the Joker.

A smile returns to his cracked lips. “Well, lets see what you got for me, bucko.”

* * *

A funny smell drifts up to him from the pool, and his eyes trace the waters’ reflections dancing across the ceiling, as he tries to figure out what it is. He thinks Joker must have tampered with it somehow, which could be very bad news for everyone involved.

So Damian spends the next little while chained to a radiator, watched by a goon with a clown mask and a gun, and asking himself if he’s really made the right choice after all. He pulls at the cuffs holding him in place, straining so much that he bites down on his bottom lip and makes it bleed. It’s shameful, he thinks; how hard going this is turning out to be. As his girlf- _Marinette_ is being hunted by the Joker, he sits chained to a radiator.

The cuffs have dug into his wrists and left them bruised, but he hasn’t gone anywhere, so all his effort has been for naught. About five minutes ago, he had tried to reach the tube of special “lip balm” he had slipped into his jacket pocket before leaving the manor. It proved too far out of his reach, so was effectively useless, a bit like Damian feels right now. It’s enough to drive him mad, but there’s nothing to be done about it.

He raises his head when he hears approaching footsteps and tries not to show his alarm when Joker bursts through the frosted glass doors, Marinette dragged behind him. Three of her classmates join them, including the one who confronted him not long ago, Adrien. They’re pushed into the room by a second goon, who stands by the doors.

“Damian!” Joker exclaims, throwing his arms wide and beaming, stretching his grotesque grin out. “Damian _Wayne_. Here you _are_... Here you are, and here _she _is.” He gestures to Marinette and Damian fights to keep his face blank, hoping that he - that they _all_ \- might be able to get away with him playing ignorant.

The Joker watches him, and ever so slowly, the smile drops. “What, I wonder, would the son... of Bruce Wayne... do to save his girlfriend’s life? What... lengths... would he go to?” Damian bites his tongue and remains silent. “How long have you known Miss... Dupain-Cheng?”

Finally, he speaks. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Joker sighs. “We... _really_... have very little time, Mr Wayne. Don’t pretend you don’t know her, when...” With a nod of his head, a gun is trained at Marinette. Damian only just stops himself from drawing a sharp breath. Not good enough. “Your pupils dilate like _that_.” Damian says nothing. When he doesn’t know what the Joker wants, he won’t give him any unintentional ammunition. “Now why... would you do that, Mr Wayne? Upset your girlfriend... by acting as if you don’t know her?”

Marinette is staring at him, trying to convey... _something_. ‘Keep quiet’? ‘Defend my honour, you idiot’? He can’t tell, which is frustrating, but the blond, Adrien, is more grim-faced by the minute, which is almost worse. What, does he have some unrequited crush on Marinette? He can't think what else would explain the downright hostile look in the blond's eyes, not when it's directed at _him_.

Marinette thinks she may have miscalculated his strength somewhat earlier, or maybe it had been a bad idea to use up all of her “surprise” element, because the Joker has hold of her in an iron tight grip now and he moves her forwards easily, manhandles her like she weighs nothing. Straight ahead and coming ever closer is the pool. The pool Joker has tampered with. On the floor, Damian’s eyes sharpen and he starts to tug again on the cuffs holding him down.

“What’s in there, Joker?” he demands as Marinette’s own struggles grow more fervent. “What did you do to the water?”

He doesn’t answer, but cackles again and his grin takes on a more manic edge. Desperate, Damian looks to Marinette’s classmates for help. The redhead and the big guy provide none. Adrien looks less content to let this happen, which he supposes is something. He’s eyeing up the two gunmen and then the Joker, then looking to the door. Damian’s eyes narrow infinitesimally.

Then Adrien shoots his shot and knocks the goon holding Nathaniel to the ground. He uses the shock and confusion to usher his two classmates out the door -

"_Adrien!_" Marinette cries, struggling desperately in the Joker's grip. He stops, turns, looks back -

But then the goons start moving and so does he, straight out the door, going, going, _gone_.

Damian's jaw clenches tight and a growl rips from his throat. He strains some more against his restraints but it's no use; he's trapped, the Joker has Marinette, and Adrien has left them.

* * *

"_What happened in there?"_ The police are upon the two kids who sprint from the hotel in a heartbeat.

"We ran, but Nath - Nathaniel didn't get out," the big guy, Ivan, says, holding out an arm to let Mylene slide in. "We were almost - but then I don't know - They caught him again." He sounds panicked, almost incoherent.

"Marinette and Damian," Batman says, looking instead to Adrien. "Where are they?"

Adrien is staring at the hotel front, a hollow expression on his face. He answers, still. "He's got them in the room with the swimming pool. Or - Or at least he _did_. When we were there. They - I don't know." His hands clench into fists and Adrien falls silent. He doesn't speak again; not when the paramedics approach him to ask about the burgeoning marks around his neck; not when the rest of his classmates form a barrier around him, babbling away in rapid fire French; not even when Lila Rossi proclaims, "_Mon dieu_, Adrikins!" and throws her arms around his neck.

Adrien Agreste doesn't speak again for the rest of the night.

* * *

The Joker roars and whirls around, taking hold of Marinette before she can so much as blink. “Fucking kids,” he growls. “That’s _three_. Another _three _of my hostages, gone, _because of you_.” Marinette is struggling, twisting in his grip, but it’s like trying to snap a steel chain and from his vantage point on the floor, Damian strains and squirms too, trying to break free.

“_Leave her, Joker!_” he bellows. “It’s me you wanted, isn’t it? _Take me instead!_” But the Joker is beyond hearing him now, on a plane so heightened that nothing exists but himself.

Himself, and the girl in his grip that he drags, kicking and fighting, towards the pool.

They hit the tiled floor at the same time and her knees scream in protest. Marinette is still wrestling to free herself when her face hits the acrid water of the pool. Her mouth and eyes she keeps squeezed together but the water sears her nostrils and it’s all she can do to stop her eyes from burning too. She can hear Damian yelling but from below the water he sounds leagues away.

Her head is yanked up and for a moment she tastes the air - sweeter than she’s ever appreciated - Damian’s yelling is louder now too - then her head is in the water again and she can’t close her mouth in time. The tampered water fires up her throat and makes her gag and inhale more water still. She’s pulled up again and this time she’s _staying _up.

She turns her head, gathers her strength and spits, _hard_. Acrid, briny water hits the Joker full in the face and he releases his grip on her to claw at his eyes. She escapes while she can, stumbling on the first couple of steps but managing to dodge the gunman making for her.

He lunges towards her again, his arms outstretched and grabbing, but it seems he has forgotten where they’re standing. Marinette gathers her strength, moves to her side and braces her leg, then latches onto his arm as it reaches her. One good heave sends him sailing over her shoulder and into the Joker’s recently modified pool of - _something_. She’s not sure what, but her throat feels scoured and raw.

Marinette is so tense she fears her nerves will wind too tight and spring back out, and then she’ll fall, and the Joker will strike...

But none of this happens. They watch the Joker and he watches them, and for a short while everything is still. Amidst all the stillness, Marinette’s brain whirs.

“You said you wanted to see how far I’d go for Marinette,” Damian says out of nowhere. The Joker stops, and turns his head towards him slowly. “Do you want your answer?” He looks desperate, and something in that must click with the Joker, because he turns to look at him fully then.

The Joker is momentarily distracted, and that moment is all Marinette needs; she launches herself into the air and her foot slams into the side of this face with a thick _**crunch**_. The sound of cheekbone snapping silences the room.

Just for a moment.

Then Joker _roars_, staggers and drops to one knee. For a second, there’s a strange little flash of red zooming towards Marinette from Joker’s pocket, but it’s gone before it was really there, and Damian would really quite like a moment to process _what he just saw happen_, but they don’t have it; Marinette is still staring at Joker, her face twisted in anger, but the man won’t be down for long.

“In my pocket - there’s a tube of gel,” he tells her as the man pants and shrieks quietly in the background. “It’ll burn through the cuffs.” She eyes him incredulously but doesn’t question it. She finds the gel and applies liberally to the metal, precise and careful, then watches as the cuffs sizzle and melt away enough for her to pry him free.

“I’m not even going to ask,” she mutters, offering out a hand to pull him to his feet. He smiles, takes it, and then its time to vacate the premises, sharpish.

Damian takes her by the arm and they shoot off, running as fast as they can to put as much distance possible between them and him. Joker is back in pursuit seconds later.

“We need to split up!” Marinette says as they sprint down one stairwell and into a brightly lit hallway. “He can’t chase us both, he’ll have to choose!” Damian has a horrible feeling he already knows who the Joker will choose, but what she’s saying _does _make sense.

“I’ll go left, you go right,” he says loudly, while indicating that they in fact go _up _and _down_, at the next stairwell just beyond the left and right turns. Marinette nods and heads down, so Damian goes up, hoping that he’s made the right choice, and that he’s bought them both some time.

Or is it the Joker he’s bought time for? Marinette wasn’t trapped in the hotel with him, as it turned out; _he_ was trapped in the hotel with _her_.

* * *

“Do we have our way in?” Batman then asks of Red Robin, who has been in charge of scoping the place out.

“Well unless you fancy taking the same route _in_ as the other kids did _out_...” He trails off and the sly smile slides from his face. “Honestly? At this stage we could probably just take the front door.”

“What do you mean?” Batman asks, his tone registering lower in his confusion.

“See for yourself.” He hands over the heat seeking goggles he’s been observing the hotel with. “Those figures you’re seeing all over the place, on the ground? Pretty sure those are his guns. I watched the kids’ signatures vanish into the basement about fifteen minutes ago. Well, except for that Nathaniel kid. Someone still has him.”

Batman has gone cold; has the Joker lost his temper and killed all his guns-for-hire? And if he’s killed them, what will he do to the children? The bodies don’t seem to be losing heat yet, though...

“So we’ve got three kids still in there to worry about,” Red Robin concludes.

“Worry about?” Red Hood repeats, sounding comparatively delighted to how he did earlier. “Those kids are giving old Joker the run around, from the sounds of it. If it weren’t for the bombs I’d let them keep going.” He feels Batman’s glare through both a cowl and a helmet, but he only grins to himself.

“They’re still in danger,” Batman growls. “We’ll get started down. That is, if you’re sure.”

“Oh, I am,” Red Robin says, taking one last look through his goggles. “The redhead’s closest. Lets start with him.”

* * *

Marinette lays flat on her stomach and half hidden behind a box cabinet in the basement level of the hotel. The beam of the gunman’s searchlight cuts through the darkness, periodically swinging in her direction yet some feet away from her. It’s still too close for comfort.

She closes her eyes and ignores the cold sweat sheen making her shirt stick to her back, and focuses. All the lights are off in the basement for some unknown reason. That electricity must be going _somewhere_. Waiting until the beam has gone completely, she eases herself up -

Then gasps as an arm locks around her throat. With not a second’s pause she rams her elbows back into her assailant’s solar plexus and brings her foot down on his ankle in quick succession. The attacker roars and reels, releasing her in the process, and Marinette runs while she still can.

She doesn’t make it far; the man’s friend sets upon her seconds later - same as before, arm around her neck, gun against her forehead -

“You can’t shoot her!” his friend wheezes from the floor. “Boss wants her alive.”

“I’m sure he’ll get over it,” the man holding her grunts - but his attention has drifted, so Marinette takes her chance.

The arm around her neck has loosened - just slightly, but that’s all she needs to snap her head back and into his nose. The arm vanishes and the man shrieks, and Marinette moves away, turning to kick out -

And the man is knocked flat on his back, blood spurting from his broken nose. This is the moment that Damian chooses to round the corner, and he pulls himself up short.

“Hey!” Marinette says, beaming at him. “I was worried about you.” The man on the floor groans.

Damian’s eyes leave her and flick to him. “What happened here?”

She shrugs, nonchalant. “Can’t you tell?”

“I _was_ wondering about the hoard of groaning gunmen you left in your wake,” he says, surveying her with a bemused half smile. He’s trying to figure her out, she realises. Marinette smiles enigmatically, and uses the chaos to leave the question unanswered.

They don’t leave the basement again; they look for their escape in there instead. At the end of the corridor, just ahead, is the entrance to the hotel’s staff stairwell.

“I’ve seen plans of the building,” Marinette says. “The fire escape’s in there. It’s a bit of a drop to the ground but I think we could make it.” Damian just nods, so when he offers to objections and the corridor remains empty, she gears up to run for it. 

“Lets go,” she says, surging up to leave their hiding place, but Damian latches onto her arm and hisses, “_Wait_.” He turns on his phone’s torch and shines it down the corridor, searching for something. Anything. Anything out of place. He finds it.

Just ahead, in the approaching doorway, is a rubber doormat. Damian frowns at it. Why the hell would there be a doormat in a place where it will never be needed? An idea seeps into his head and he turns back, shining his torch the way they just came. He looks at the door on the other end of the corridor and yep. No doormat.

Creeping forwards, Damian gently peels the mat up off the ground, peers beneath and has his suspicions confirmed; pressure pads, rigged to trigger if stepped on. They’ve found one of the Joker’s bombs. He looks back at Marinette, who is crouched just behind him, looking over his shoulder. Their eyes meet, and hers have gone wide.

“I can’t believe I missed that!”

“Easily done,” he says, laying the mat back down and stepping over it. Marinette follows close behind and then they’re both careful to be sharper-eyed as they carry on.

“You’re very... adept at handling the situation,” he says after a moment. “Your friend told me using the vents to escape was your plan.”

“I could say the same,” Marinette points out. They’re both hiding something, and they both know it. Neither want to address the issue, and why would they? There’s a mission to focus on. This is no time for personal drama. Privately, they both feel they’re in their element, Outwardly, for appearances’ sake, they pretend otherwise.

Mostly. “I read that six hundred people were killed in Mourning Star’s attack,” Damian says.

“I know,” she grunts, pushing open the weighted door that leads to the stairs, “I was there.”

“Were you one of them?” This pulls her up short. Her jaw drops and she turns to face him.

“I - What?”

He’s staring at her, looking startlingly vulnerable. “Were you killed during the attack and then brought back by Ladybug’s cure?”

The question is rent from their air when the door behind them bangs open and a small hoard of the Joker’s goons appear. All armed, all gunning their way. They stare at each other, at am impasse.

“Friends of yours?” Damian asks, eyeing Marinette like he’s remembering what he saw in the pool room.

“You could say we’re acquainted,” she nods. “_Run!_”

She bolts for the stairwell, dragging Damian behind her when she realises he looks like to take the hoard of single-handed, the fool. She’s tempted to stay and fight herself, yes, but going against a man one v one is _quite_ a different thing to facing off against a small army, when she’s already hurt and not even transformed.

_Honestly_, what’s Damian thinking? “I could have dealt with them,” he tells her as they go, and she guesses that answers _that _question. She rolls her eyes but doesn’t reply; the hoard are right on their heels. There’s nowhere to go but up and they don’t even have the space to stop and force open a fire door. Just up and up and up -

Then the stairs end and they have nowhere left to run to but out onto the roof, the freezing night air whipping at them from one side as they strain to hold the door shut against the henchmen’s much more significant combined weight.

The door struggles and jolts but mercifully, eventually, the pressure stops as the goons give up. She and Damian exchange a look. “Why did they stop?” she asks.

He hesitates, before saying, “Perhaps Batman has entered the fray. Joker’s going to need all the muscle he can get.”

Marinette nods and looks around at their new locale. There’s not much of help up _here_, and even if her Ladybug-ness didn’t make her more susceptible to the cold she’s sure she would be shivering. There’s no protection from the wind, which is harsh and punishing this high up. If they’re stuck here for too long, her fingers will go numb. Won’t _that _be the perfect way to end things off?

“Well, no use just standing here,” she says, moving away from the door at last. “Best we start looking for a way down, no?”

* * *

"_Joker!"_ Batman calls into the empty grand hallway. "Where are you hiding? Show yourself!" It takes some time but the man soon appears, gun in one hand and Nathaniel in the other. It's a grim repeat of the scene with Mylene, and Red Robin has no intention of letting things end the way they did earlier.

If the redhead is scared he doesn't show it, in fact he's the very image of tranquility. But Red Robin wonders about him; from his study of the Ladyblog he knows this kid was once akumatised. For all he knows of how that works, Nathaniel Kurtzberg could be capable of nearly anything.

"Joker," Batman beings, "let the kid go. We'll talk." The Joker snorts with derision and levels at his nemesis a flat look. From the hallways to their left and right, the Joker's guns-for-hire start to trickle in, though not quite as many as had been anticipated.

"Where are the other kids?" Red Hood asks, not sparing the goons even a passing glance. His attention belongs to none but the Joker. "The girl, and the Wayne boy?" Again, no spoken answer, but they all saw the way the villain's face just twitched. He didn't know where they were. That could be either a very good, or a very, very bad thing.

"What do you want to let the boy go?" Batman asks, changing tact.

"Nothing," Joker says, and Red Robin frowns. "I don't want anything. What I... _wanted_... was to put Mr Wayne and Miss... Dupain-Cheng to the test. And now they're gone, so..." He tightens his hold of Nathaniel and raises the gun higher. He lets the threat hang in the air between them, silent, and they know they're on shaky ground. If Joker thinks he's lost, there's _really_ no telling what he'll do next.

"They're gone?" Red Robin asks. "What does that mean? Gone where?" They need to know but it's a dangerous question - hell, any question is a dangerous one where this fuck's concerned -

But the Joker snarls and says, "Dead. In the basement. My boys shot 'em."

The air leaves the room. No. He's lying. He has to be lying. There's no way - It can't be true.

Then Red Hood thunders and surges forward, and the goons start shooting. Bullets bounce off his reinforced jacket as he rips Nathaniel from the Joker's grip and the gun in his hand goes off - _where?_ \- and Red Robin grabs the kid and whisks him away to safety, away from the bullets - and Batman's taking hold of Red Hood now, because he has Joker on the floor, halfway beaten to a pulp, blood on the glossy, tiled floor of the plaza -

"_Tell the truth!_" Batman roars in his face, as the Joker laughs hysterically through the blood and the bone, the mess that was his face. "_Where are they?"_

Joker cackles some more then says, "_I'll never tell!"_ and presses the button he slipped from his pocket when no one was keeping an eye on his hands. "Bye bye, Batsy!" he cries, as from below their feet they feel a tremble, hear a boom, as the first bomb detonates. "I'll see you all in hell!"

* * *

Marinette and Damian have just finished their fruitless inspection of potential escape routes (total: zero) and are contemplating having to snake their way back through the hotel to get out, when they hear the first _boom_. It’s faint, almost a thousand miles away - or that’s how it feels. Then they feel the building shake and shiver in its foundations and they look at each other slowly.

“That - That felt like one of the bombs -” A second boom rocks them and cuts Marinette short, and suddenly she feels like the floor has gone out from under her, because she can’t feel it beneath her feet anymore. As Damian’s head snaps around, searching for a physical sign of attack, a hysterical laugh bubbles up out of her throat, and he turns to stare at her instead.

She doesn’t notice.

“At least I’m on top of the building this time,” she says, laughing some more. Being on the roof is just as likely to get her killed as being beneath it was. The returning stench of steel and concrete almost makes her pass out.

“_Get out!_” Rena Rouge had screamed. “_Get out of there!_”

“Marinette,” Damian says hurriedly. “We need to move, _now_.” He’s reaching into his pocket for something, but she doesn’t notice. She isn’t in Gotham anymore. The noise - it had been like _thunder _-

“_Get out, Ladybug!_” Rena Rouge had shrieked. “_Ladybug, **run!**_”

She does, straight for the edge of the building.

“_Tikki_,” she calls over the ever-louder cacophony below, “_**spots on!**_” She never registers Damian’s wide eyes or gaping mouth. She doesn’t see the bat-shaped grapple hook in his hand either. Not yet.

Ladybug stands at the edge of the Gotham Hotel as it shakes beneath her feet, takes her yoyo in one gloved hand and holds the other out to Damian.

“We need to go,” she says, and in his shock he can only agree.

She takes his hand, takes hold of her yoyo and _slams _it against the wall at her feet; it clicks in place, holds, and then she uses it as a rope to scale down the side of the building.

“_Come on!_” she calls up to Damian, who still seems as if he’s trying to catch up mentally, never mind physically. He follows her down the yoyo’s steel-strong string, and within minutes they’re back on solid ground. Concurrent blasts bring the hotel apart behind them, but Marinette's brain has frozen.

He’s watching her silently as she recalls her yoyo and places it back at her waist. She looks at the bat-branded grapple hook and puts two and two together.

“Tikki,” she chokes, “spots off.” And then it’s just Marinette and Damian again. Them, and the grapple hook. They’ve come down around the back of the hotel and no one else can see them, but it’s enough that they can see each other. He’s seen her and she’s seen him, and there’s nothing left for either of them to say.

Nothing, that is, except -

“You can’t tell anyone.” They say it at the same time, then freeze and almost laugh. But this is no time for laughter.

Chunks of brick are falling down around them now, some landing dangerously close to where they stand. “We uh - We should go,” Damian says, tucking the grapple hook away. “People will be worried.”

Frantic, more like, Marinette thinks as she follows him dazedly towards the street. She sucks clean air through her abused nostrils and tries to halt her shaking, to no avail. Behind them, the hotel continues to collapse and if she weren't already shaking on her own, the vibrations on the ground would be rocking her world right now.

Once they're a safe distance away, they stop for a moment, to watch the Gotham Hotel fall to dust. For a minute, neither of them speak. “So it was really you I caught creeping outside my hotel room,” Marinette says eventually. “I should have known.”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” Damian says, and though neither of them can quite smile yet, it’s in both of their voices.

They appear side by side, safe and sound, in front of the hotel, and the waiting crowd goes wild.


	7. i. Hell Is Other Heroes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angst and Salt and Chloe, oh my!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve just realised some of my Darker Origins/Daminette AU plot points are lifted from things that happen in my own book series. I’ll need to be careful that they’re not too similar, or people will be accusing me of plagiarising myself in x amount of years when the books hit the shelves (because failure is not an option.)
> 
> Disclaimer. Years in advance, perhaps, but... I am allowed to use my own, original ideas in this work of fanfiction!

The moment the first explosion sounds, the kids of Francois-Dupont are being herded away, as fast as they can be moved from the building as possible. Some complain because they want to watch as the hotel goes down, but most turn a chalky white, or feel bile rise in their throat, remembering the voice of Mourning Star shriek across Paris, the sonic boom of her cries shaking the foundations of the city.

They back away, close their eyes, cover their ears, and miss Red Hood and Red Robin go running out to safety, a flood of henchmen also fleeing. They miss Batman too, who drags behind him the unmoving body of their personal nightmare.

When Marinette and Damian first emerge from around the side of the hotel, no one from the class at first knows how to react. Then Max gasps, “They - They got out!” and they collectively lose their shit. Alix hoots and claps her hands, Rose is so overcome with relief that she has to sit down. Nino, grinning widely, slaps Adrien on the back and doesn’t see his friend’s blank expression. They don’t get the chance to approach though; Ms Bustier and Commissioner Gordon are upon the duo before Lila can get out an entire huff of dismay.

“Oh, Marinette!” Ms Bustier cries, pulling her into a hug. “Oh, you did so well! But your hair is wet! Did something happen in there?”

“The Joker tried to drown her,” Damian growls. “He tampered with the water in the pool and almost drowned her in it.” As Ms Bustier gasps and holds Marinette tighter, Gordon’s stare sharpens.

“Tampered with? Do you need urgent medical attention?” She disentangles herself from her teacher’s grip as paramedics reach them and place a shock blanket around her shoulders.

“It was - how do you say... like - a salt pan! Salty water, nothing more.” But still enough, she thinks to herself. She and Damian are dragged through a brief examination and he seems remarkably more at ease with all the prodding and questions than she is, but maybe she’s just tired.

Commissioner Gordon and Ms Bustier hover behind them the whole time and when the paramedics give them both a disbelieving all-clear, they jump right back in.

“The police have arranged a new hotel for us to stay in until we can go home,” Ms Bustier says. Marinette blinks, for some reason surprised, and Damian draws himself up to his full height.

“I propose Marinette come home with me,” he says, a bit too quickly. “She’s my pen-pal, and - Well I mean, I don’t think she should be alone with her classmates right now.”

Ms Bustier raises her brows. “Marinette is still under my care and will be for as long as we remain in Gotham -” she begins.

“That didn’t stop you from forgetting about her completely, _multiple _times -”

“Damian!”

“You said it yourself, Marinette; that she expects you to take care of yourself far more than she does any of the other students.”

“Is this true?” Commissioner Gordon’s expression has hardened and Ms Bustier looks frozen solid.

“I - I -”

“Of course it is!” Damian says, indignant. “Marinette wouldn’t _lie _about it, and I saw for myself. She just gets pushed aside and forgotten. Frankly, I wouldn’t trust the woman with any children -”

“_Damian!_” Marinette exclaims again, and this time he actually stops in his tirade and looks at her.

“Yes, Marinette?” She can only gape at him and he appears completely nonplussed. Gordon clears his throat, and for a second, he says nothing.

“I think, considering all the circumstances, Miss Dupain-Cheng, it should be fine for you to stay with your, ah - friend.”

He eyes the two kids weirdly before a voice from behind says, “I think you mean _girlfriend_, Commissioner.” Red Robin sounds supremely amused, and Damian supremely unimpressed when he says, “Stay out of it.”

“Ooh, that’s no way to talk to one of the Robins, Mr Wayne.” Red Robin’s smirking widely and Damian’s eye twitches. Marinette stares at the newcomer, too tired to be embarrassed by the attention, and then pauses. Narrows her eyes. The hero’s build is the same as Tim Drake’s, she’s sure of it, and if Damian is really _Robin_, then...

“Marinette, are you okay with coming home with me - I mean, until your flight back to Paris is arranged?”

“I’d be fine with it, Damian,” she says, smiling tiredly. “Thank you.”

With the face of a man stuck in the Twilight Zone - _really_, just how much does Damian’s reputation precede him? - Commissioner Gordon leaves to make official arrangements.

Batman is stood a few feet away, looking at them. Damian stares back for a few seconds, an unreadable look in his eyes, before he says, “I’d just like a word with _him_, if you don’t mind.”

“No no, you go,” she tells him, looking between father and son and wondering how they manage to keep it together like this. “I’m alright.” Also standing alone at the moment is Nathaniel, and _she _would like a word with _him_.

“You did well,” she says when she gets to his side, and he offers a reserved smile.

“Maman will be pleased to know that all the self-defense courses she’s had me complete since Hawkmoth first turned up helped me learn to steady my nerves.”

“It’s true,” Marinette says. “You were almost out of body back there from what I’ve heard. Can’t have been easy.” An idea begins to nudge at the back of her mind but she dismisses it. “You look tired though. You should get some rest.”

“So should you,” Nathaniel says, but he does go and sit down in the back of the ambulance, where a smiling paramedic offers him a cup of something steaming. Marinette watches him go and wonders something to herself.

By now the rest of her classmates are drifting her way and Marinette tenses further. Damian, noticing, separates from Batman and the Robins and rejoins her side.

“_Marinette! What happened in there?_” “Is the Joker dead? I haven’t seen him come out.” “_Why did the bombs go off?_” “Where did you escape from? You came out from around the back!”

“_How _did you escape?” It’s Sabrina’s question that pulls Marinette up short. She blinks, frowns, and turns to face the source. Sabrina, pale and drawn, stands clinging to Chloe’s arm, peering at her through eyes blown slightly wider due to the lenses of her glasses. Marinette’s mind races to create a passable lie as the others abandon their own lines of questioning to repeat Sabrina’s.

“I - When the boys ran they distracted the Joker. We ran too, and hid.”

“So how did they manage to recapture Nathaniel?” Juleka asks.

“Why didn’t you _help _him?” Lila asks, latching on.

Chloe scoffs, shaking off Sabrina’s grip, and says, “It’s not Marinette’s job to look after you all. Kurtzberg shouldn’t have got caught.”

“It wasn’t his fault!” Kim protests.

“It isn’t Marinette’s fault either!” Chloe counters, glaring.

“What the hell?” Alya says, screwing her face up. “Since when do you defend Marinette?”

“Since when do you _call her_ Marinette?” Nino asks, his face marred with confusion.

“I -” Chloe goes pink and crosses her arms. “Well she _did _save us in there. We would have still been inside when the building went up if she hadn’t done something.”

“The hotel might not have gone up _at all_,” Lila mutters.

“The Joker was a madman,” barks Damian, who has thus far been watching in stunned disbelief. “You don’t seem to understand that by now; he would have killed half -”

“And since when do you _thank_ people when they help you, _Chloe?”_ Alya demands, cutting Damian off as though he weren’t speaking.

“Hey,_ I_ got sent to safety _first_,” Chloe says imperiously, laying a hand against her chest. “I’d thank anyone who does that. I’ve noticed that _you’ve _yet to thank Marinette for saving your ass at all.”

At that, Alya blushes and her eyes go wide. “I - er - Thank you, Marinette.” Her voice is low and timid, a far cry from the brash wannabe reporter everyone is used to. Her eyes drop to the ground and she backs down. Marinette nods and doesn’t reply.

“I _cannot _believe you.” It’s Damian, speaking in clipped French. He glares around at the classmates venomously. “She saved you all. She _saved _you, and _this _is how you thank her?”

Kids mutter responses to and amongst themselves but don’t reply to Damian, some backing off or otherwise drifting away. As the crowd scatters, Marinette sees someone stood to the back, apart from the rest.

Her eyes land on Adrien, and her mind goes blank. She is, quite honestly, lost for words. Damian, not so much.

“_You_. You, who ran away.” His eyes are slits as he slowly advances upon Adrien, who is rooted to the spot. The crowd has gone still, halted by uncertainty. “He had her in his hands, he was _hurting _her. She called to you for help, _screamed _for it, and you looked her in the face and _ran_.”

By now he and Adrien stand toe to toe, evenly matched in stature, but in the moment Adrien looks so much smaller; his head is bent low, his shoulders hunched inwards, and he cannot meet Damian’s eyes. He can’t meet anyone’s eyes, least of all Marinette’s.

“Run - Bro, what’s he talking about?” It’s Nino, at the front of the crowd. He looks between the two boys and Marinette like he’s struggling to see them at all.

Adrien swallows, visibly. “I - I...” He swallows again and remains silent.

Damian scoffs. “You can’t even say it? How you -”

“_Stop_,” Marinette says. “Damian, leave him.”

He turns to her, incredulous. “Marinette, he left you to -”

“_I know what he did_.” Her voice is harsh even as her lower lip quivers. “But he’s mine to deal with, as and when I see fit. Leave it. Please.” She manages to sway him, but he backs away from Adrien looking no happier.

Commissioner Gordon approaches then, looking like he wants to start in, but she must be completely worn down because instead he smiles at her and says, “You’re free to go, Miss Dupain-Cheng. I’ll speak to you again tomorrow.”

* * *

"Are you sure you’re alright, Miss Marinette?" Alfred asks, ushering her in to sit down on the edge of the bed that will be hers for the next few nights. She looks around the room in a daze, marking out the points of escape should the worst happen again. "Would you like anything to calm your nerves?"

She doesn't think she needs it, but she does consider agreeing, just to save face. "No, thank you Alfred. I am - I am okay."

"I've no doubt about that, my dear. You're an awfully brave young lady." He's measuring a large dose of black powder into a glass as he speaks.

"Oh, I - I don't think so," she laughs, waving her hands. "It was all just adrenaline." He hums lowly and levels at her a single-eyebrow-raised look that makes her feel like she's under a microscope.

“I believe you’ve had enough rigmarole for one night, Miss Marinette,” he then says briskly. “I’ll fetch you something to sleep in, and if you’d like to shower you have a bathroom to yourself just through the door behind me. You are, of course, free to do whatever you wish. I myself would recommend catching up on some much needed sleep, but if you wish to speak to Master Damian, he plans to retire to the lounge bar.”

“Thank you, Alfred,” she says, hauling herself to her feet.

“Of course, Miss Marinette. There’s just one more thing...” He’s looking now at the glass, half filled with the strange black powder, and she’s suddenly very nervous.

“Yes, Alfred?”

He smiles at her. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to drink this.”

Twenty minutes later, Marinette rolls the glass between her hands, staring into the black liquid.

“Activated charcoal,” Alfred had said, passing it to her. “To soak up any toxins you may have inhaled from the pool.”

She creeps into the lounge bar and perches on the arm of Damian’s chair. They’re totally engrossed in the news coverage of the night’s events but he soon realises she’s there and shifts over so she can squeeze in beside him. It’s a tight fit, and any other time she might insist that she’s alright, thank you, but tonight -

Tonight she lets it happen. Feeling soft and warm and floaty after having experienced her first ever power shower, she’s happy to curl up in the plush leather armchair. Alfred has given her a pair of pyjamas that are only a bit too big - apparently belonging to occasional house guest Cassandra Cain. Marinette hopes the young woman won’t be bothered by her borrowing them for the night.

Right now she feels so safe and secure that she could almost forget about _everything _that went down tonight. She glances at Damian and he at she but neither of them speak yet. Any more words, and more secrets might just go spilling out. Nice work, Mari. Anything else you’d like to tell him while you’re at it?

“So you’re Ladybug,” Damian says, and even though his voice is pitched low she still tenses a bit. “Well, at least now I know Mourning Star didn’t kill you.”

“Y-Yeah,” she breathes. He’s looking at her now, examining her face as if it’ll help him work through this new revelation. She takes the chance to do the same, and looks for Robin.

“I’d been... very concerned about that,” he says, meeting her eyes with such sincerity look that it almost floors her. “And when you go back to Paris, you’ll be fighting, still.”

“Hawkmoth doesn’t sleep,” she says, but when his brow furrows in confusion she hastens to add, “I mean, he _does!_ I just meant - Like crime doesn’t sleep, y’know?” A smile curves his lips and he nods. “But yeah. Once I’m home the fight picks up again. Though I’m not sure how things are going to go now...”

“What do you mean?” His free hand moves up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and it lingers there.

“I’ll have to rethink my strategy,” she says, sighing heavily. “Change my whole game plan. I - I’ve lost my partner.”

He frowns. “Chat Noir? Why have you lost him?”

“Mourning Star might not have killed any of my team mates, but she broke their spirits. Chat hasn’t been the same since, and now...”

The arm around her shoulders holds her tighter. “You can’t rely on him anymore.”

She nods, and before she can stop herself says, “What happened tonight just proved it once and for all.”

When his eyes sharpen, she could kick herself. “What do you mean?”

“It’s nothing,” she says quickly. “Please, just forget I said that.” Miraculously, he agrees, acquiescing to her once again, and she relaxes back into his side. The arm holding her remains steady and secure.

So he knows. And she knows. Will he tell his family she knows about Robin? If he does, will it change her “welcome” status in the manor? After all, even a fool could connect the dots at this point, and these people don’t really know her. For all they know, she might be like to blab. Shuddering, she curls up tighter, leaning into Damian’s side and casting the thought out of her head.

They remain in the lounge bar for a while and the cozy lighting and warmth almost lull Marinette to sleep, before the door behind them opens and Dick Grayson, windswept and breathless, appears in the doorway.

“Damian! You’re - You’re alright. Both of you. Thank god.”

“We’re fine, Richard, yes,” he says tersely, as his older brother comes to stand before them. Marinette eyes him carefully and, knowing what she now does, thinks he must be Nightwing. “There’s no need for such dramatics.” Damian doesn’t catch Marinette’s stare, but Dick does.

He smiles at her. “I hear you’ve had quite a night.” Afraid that if she opens her mouth she’ll blurt out the truth, Marinette smiles back and simply nods.

“Yes, a very long night,” Damian agrees. “So I would appreciate you leaving the interrogation until daylight. We’ve had enough.” Huh. Perhaps all the questions _had _got to him. Marinette suddenly feels a spike of worry and nudges him in the ribs, gently, so as not to aggravate any injuries.

He looks at her and the frown leaves his face; the tension lines melt away and his whole expression softens. “Are you alright?”

She nods. “Maybe -” Her throat is raw and scratchy, so she starts again. “Maybe you should get some sleep.”

His eyebrows shoot up. “Me? Maybe _you_ should get some sleep!”

“Maybe you both should,” Dick interrupts, looking between them incredulously. “Christ, _neither _of you have slept yet?”

“I - Alfred told me to drink that,” Marinette says weakly, gesturing at the empty glass on the coffee table, still stained with black.

Dick grimaces. “Activated charcoal?” At her nod he smiles sympathetically. “Yeah, that stuff’s the worst. So what’s your excuse?” he asks of Damian, who scowls petulantly.

“I’m not ten anymore, Grayson,” he says. “You can’t try to order me around like you used to.”

Dick raises his eyebrows and crosses his arms. “I’m your brother. I can and will order you around as much as I like, Go to bed. Both of you. I’ll get the rundown from Bruce.”

Damian snorts as they both get to their feet and asks, “What does he know? He wasn’t even there.”

* * *

The morning dawns crisp and clear, and Marinette sleeps through all of it.

She finally emerges from her bundle of blankets at midday and drags herself downstairs. Alfred presents her with a frankly enormous breakfast and she laughs distractedly at his quip about it being _lunchtime_, in fact, Miss Marinette. She’s too ravenous to really pay attention but he doesn’t seem offended, simply sends her through to the living room, where the various Wayne boys have assembled.

They’re kind and courteous when they ask her how she is, and if she didn’t know who they really were then she would pass off their questions about the previous night as mere concern. As it is, she knows she’s being questioned by Batman, and she’s careful not to say anything incriminating.

When he asks her how she so well evaded the Joker’s clutches, all she does is laugh and say, “In Paris we spend half our time running from one villain or another!” Seeing their segue to the thing they really want to talk about, they jump on the subject.

“Right, the _akumas,_” Dick says. “What’s uh - What’s their deal?”

Marinette blinks at him, and then frowns. “Their deal? I don’t understand...”

“It’s just that the whole situation seems so strange,” Bruce interjects smoothly. “Nobody here really understands what’s going on.”

“Nobody in Paris does, either,” she says humourously. “We know what Hawkmoth _wants_, but no one knows _why _he wants it.”

“Right,” Tim says. “The - Miraculous?”

“They’re the uh - tools that help Ladybug and Chat Noir do - what they do,” she finishes lamely. Damian scowls at the mention of her blond-haired partner. “He has one of his own, but he still wants theirs.”

“Do you think Ladybug and Chat Noir know?” She frowns and shakes her head. _If only_. “It’s just strange,” Bruce says, and he’s watching her... a bit too closely. “All this is going on, but no one seems to know anything about it.” Least of all _me_, she thinks to herself. How tragic.

“People have tried to figure it out,” she says. “The police have a whole list of suspects and there are special security cameras all over the city, just for catching out akumas, not none of them have been traced back to their source yet. Hawkmoth’s good.” She can’t help but sound bitter then. She’s loathe to admit it, but it’s the sad truth. He’s out-manouvering everyone.

“What about Ladybug and Chat Noir?” Jason asks.

Her eyes harden slightly. “What about them?” If they pick up on a change in tone, none of them show it.

“Well they’re the big damn heroes in town,” he says. “Do people know anything about_ them?_”

“No. They’re very private.”

“What about how they operate?” Bruce asks. “Do they have a plan?” There’s something in his eyes that unsettles Marinette. Wary, she says, “I wouldn’t know, Mr Wayne.”

Damian clears his throat. “He’s asking because he thinks the Justice League might want to get involved.” He’s looking at her meaningfully, and it’s all she can do not to cry out in shock.

“Damian!” Tim shoots his brother a harsh look that goes completely ignored.

“I - I -” At that moment, her phone starts buzzing and she fumbles to answer, her head spinning. “Maman! Papa!” She stands abruptly and rushes from the room, almost crying with relief at the interruption.

“What the hell was that, Demon Spawn?” Jason asks, glaring at Damian malevolently. “Why would you bring the League up? You _want _her to figure out who we are?”

“I wasn’t wrong, was I?” he asks smugly. “Father spoke to the League not long ago. I assume they’ll want to investigate.”

“Actually, yes,” Bruce says.

“They plan to send someone to Paris to asses the threat,” Dick continues.

“Oh, of course _you’d_ know,” Jason sneers.

“What, you didn’t?” Tim asks innocently.

Jason looks utterly disgusted at being the last to find out, and he says, “Oh, _bite me._”

Damian is busy smirking at the spectacle. Then what he’s just heard really strikes him. _The League wants someone in Paris_.

Heart jumping into his mouth, Damian bolts upright and says, “I’ll go. Send me.” He’s expecting a great deal of resistance to this, but his father only sighs as Dick and Tim exchange shit-eating grins.

“_Wow_, Demon Brat,” Jason drawls, “why do _you _want to go?”

“As it happens, Damian, I was already considering putting you forward,” his father says. “From what we can gather, the heroes in Paris are quite young. It would be best to send someone closer to their age. Best to earn their trust.”

“I suggested sending one of the Teen Titans,” Richard says, “but none of them can speak French. Kori would do it, but the Titans can’t lose their leader.”

“That, and she’s kind of conspicuous,” Jason says. “People might notice if a Tamaranian suddenly appears in Paris.”

Glaring at Jason, Dick continues. “Kori might have been best, age-wise, but I’d agree to you going too.” Damian’s just thinking that they _really _don’t know how young the Miraculous wielders are, when his brother says, “It’ll be like a family adventure!”

His expression freezes. Oh. Oh no. “You’re not coming,” he snaps, as Tim says, “Oh, _that’s _why you wanted Starfire to go so badly.”

Dick glares at Tim, then turns to smirk at Damian. “I’ve already been assigned the mission, Baby Bird. Now what?” Damian scowls and mutters to himself, but he doesn’t retort.

“Now you be careful in Paris, Demon Brat,” Jason sings. “I don’t want any nephews and nieces yet.”

“_TODD!_”

* * *

Her parents are frantic on the phone, yet somehow it’s not even them Marinette has her mind on. She speaks to them for fifteen minutes, and it’s good! It helps, but they’re not her greatest concern. As soon as she’s free again, let go with love and hugs and promises, she calls Luka Couffaine.

Kagami is the one who answers. “Marinette! Sweet girl. Please tell me you’re okay.” In the background, she can hear Luka complaining about it being _his _fucking phone, damn it.

“Is she okay?” he calls. “Tell her I’m going to kick the Joker’s ass.”

“Put the phone on speaker, Kags,” Marinette says, smiling so big her face hurts. “So, you know what happened?”

“Jules told me you took on the Joker by yourself,” Luka says, adding, “Maybe it’s _your_ ass I should be kicking.”

Marinette grins bigger still. “I’d like to see you try!”

“As would I,” Kagami says, her voice quietly amused. “I think Marinette is beyond you now, Luka.”

“_Beyond_ me?” he repeats, and Marinette curls up on her window seat and listens to them bicker, five hundred miles away. They go for a minute or so before Luka stops abruptly and asks, “So you’re okay, Mari?”

Okay is relative, she thinks, but she doesn’t want to panic them further. “I wasn’t hurt,” she says, hoping they haven’t been told anything that would contradict this. “I wish you were both here.”

“We’d be there if we could be,” Kagami says, and her voice is so soothing to Marinette’s ear that she feels herself melt a bit. “It won’t be long until you’re back.”

“Speaking of, how’s Paris doing?” she can’t help but ask. Ladybug had left the city in the care of Viperion and Ryuuko while she was gone, and though she hasn’t heard about anything disastrous happening, neither had the Waynes before she arrived.

“Mostly calm,” Luka says. “Nothing for you to concern yourself with, Mari. Nothing serious.” Then there would be a couple of Akumas waiting to be cleansed when she got home.

“That’s good!” she says, looking now around her bedroom at the manor. They all fall silent but she doesn’t move to hang up yet; she misses having them at her side too much. The same idea that bugged her with Nathaniel pokes at her again and leaves her suddenly breathless.

“Well I’ve gotta go!” she rushes out. “See you both soon, I love you!” Their protests are cut short as she drops her phone onto the seat beside her. She thinks about it some more, and it makes her mouth go dry; her heart beat faster.

She needs to speak to Chloe.

* * *

When she gets to the new hotel, which is under police watch, she notices, it isn’t too hard to seek Chloe out. Sabrina is clinging to her side and the blonde is growing visibly agitated; they may still be friends, but no one hangs onto Chloe Bourgeois for long before they get their hand bitten off. Sabrina levels a somewhat moody look at Marinette when she steals Chloe away, but she thinks she might be doing the redhead a favour.

She whisks Chloe away to the privacy of one of the “quiet rooms” the kids have been granted use of. They don’t talk about the obvious elephant in the room; Marinette is too nervous to bring it up directly and Chloe isn’t the type to dwell like that. So, no discussions of identity. Marinette is there on a mission, and she gets straight to it.

“The Justice League want to investigate Hawkmoth themselves.”

Chloe’s jaw drops. Marinette has never seen her look so... _offended_. “Excuse me? The Justice League of _America?_ What business is it of _theirs?_”

“Well -”

“They can keep their damned noses _out_, thank you very much. Hawkmoth is a _Miraculous _problem; it takes _Miraculous _people to manage it.”

“I mean, actually -”

“The _nerve!_ The absolute nerve! It’s ridiculous, I say. _Completely_ ridiculous. Who do they think they _are _-”

“_Chloe!_” Marinette says. “I don’t think we have anything to worry about. Since - Since the subway car, when Chat Noir didn’t show up for the fight, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and I have a plan.”

Hands latched to her lips and expression terse, Chloe says, “Well what is it then?”

“I’m giving you the Bee.”

Chloe blinks. “Giving? As in -”

“To keep, yes. Circumstances have changed and I can no longer trust Chat -”

“Why not? Did something happen?” Her eyes narrow. “Do you know who he is? Do _I?_ Because after that crap he pulled with -”

“It doesn’t matter,” Marinette says firmly. “What matters is that I do trust _you_, and I’m going to need you when we go home. _Ladybug_ is going to need _Queen Bee_. A lot - A lot is going to change.”

* * *

Marinette deliberates over what’s she’s about to do for a while before she actually does it, gazing over the courtyard outside her bedroom window before she steels her nerves and takes to her phone.

_We need to talk, Chat_.

She sends it to her conversation with Adrien, and then sits back and waits, her heart in her mouth; she’s breaking the promise she made to herself all those years ago, that she would never tell a soul. In the space of twenty four hours, she has told three people.

_I agree._

She stares at his reply, fingers hovering over the keyboard before she formulates a response.

_Where should we meet?_

She wants to allow Adrien a certain level of control over this, because whatever else happens, whatever else is said, the night’s only going to end one way; with her taking away his Miraculous. She can give him this much, surely?

But he doesn’t reply. Not at first. When he finally does, her heart drops to her stomach.

_I’ll come to you, my lady_.

She’s up like a shot, fleeing the bedroom she’s been granted and rushing to Damian’s, down the hall. She hammers on the door until he yanks it open, then says, “Adrien’s coming,” the second it is.

His expression, which had been open and relaxed when he first saw her, tenses. “He’s Chat Noir, isn’t he?” She nods. “Then we need to move fast.”

She’s not sure that there’s any way for them to do this without drawing unwanted attention from Damian’s family. Batman is the worlds’ greatest detective, after all, and if a Parisian superhero appears in his back garden, shrieking at Marinette, he might just catch onto something.

“Not if we work fast,” Damian says. “We can cut him off before he ever reaches the manor.”

“I hope you’re right,” she mutters, but doesn’t drag out the issue further; they’ve made it into the garden without drawing notice so far, heading towards the small green blip on the screen of Marinette’s yoyo (kindly gifted to her by Tikki, in private, before she left with Damian).

He seems confident, but Adrien’s dot looks worryingly close to Marinette, and she struggles to quell the dread forming a pit in her stomach.

They just make it to the perimetre when a bostaff slams down into the ground in front of her, pulling her up short. Grass and earth fly, then the bostaff collapses inwards and Chat Noir lands on the lawn, looking half-geared up for a fight. Damian curses and looks around to check that they’re alone.

“Chat!” she cries, and honestly, she can’t _believe _he’s come transformed. “You shouldn’t be here like _that_. If anyone sees you it could draw unwanted attention!”

“I know why you wanted to talk to me,” he says, his voice incredibly cautious.

“Then make my job easy for me and hand the ring over.” The threat spurs him to life more than facing the Joker did, and like a dying animal this only makes him more dangerous.

“You can’t _do _that!”

“Yes I can! If you’re going to get people hurt, it’s my _duty_.” They’re slowly beginning to circle each other now.

“And that’s what you think _I’m _doing?”

“Well you weren’t much help last night.” That’s the last straw; Chat Noir lunges and Marinette rolls to the side, crying, “_Tikki! Spots on!_”

Then it’s Ladybug versus Chat Noir, old partners going toe to toe. She had been reluctant to fight him but now that she is, bitterness bubbles up inside her and makes her _glad _that this is happening. She blocks his jabs and deals out blows of her own, but they’ve known each other for too long, and too intimately, and they can predict each others moves ahead of time. What makes the difference is, as always, Mourning Star. Chat Noir has been out of practice ever since facing her three months ago, and now Ladybug outstrips him.

He lunges, she dodges and then springs for him, her yoyo slicing through the space between them. He ducks, blocks and spins to the side as his bostaff whistles just over her head. He’s lightning fast _now _but he’s on the defense; one of her strikes will reach him eventually. She dodges back but loses her footing and is forced into a backwards roll to regain it.

She starts to beat him back; he starts to falter, and Ladybug’s sharper reflexes begin to overwhelm his sloppier ones. Chat Noir brings his bostaff down and she takes her chance, snagging his wrists with the yoyo string and forcing him to the ground. He goes down and Ladybug makes sure he _stays _down, pinning him in place.

“Don’t move, Adrien. Just stop.”

She holds him there for a while, both of them breathing heavily on the well-kept lawn, and he becomes increasingly subdued. Once she’s sure it’s safe, she asks, “Do you remember the night we last fought Mr Pigeon?” Their old frenemy has not made an appearance in almost a year now.

Adrien smiles faintly. “You kissed me on the Arc de Triomphe.”

“I did. That was a long time ago now.”

“It was,” he nods. They’re both choked up, huddled close together. Her hands are gripping his and their foreheads almost touch.

“Adrien, please, give me one last act as the Chat Noir I always knew. Give me your Miraculous. Don’t make me take it.”

He doesn’t move. Instead, he says, “I tried.”

“I know you did,” she says, trying with all her might not to let her voice crack as it wants to, because this is one of the hardest things she’s ever had to do. “Give me the Miraculous, Adrien.”

He huffs a weak laugh. “Now where have I heard _that_ before?”

Marinette laughs too then, shakily. “I hope you still like me better than _Hawkmoth_.”

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

Adrien doesn’t speak again for a minute. One hand goes to the other; he fingers the ring that has made up his identity the last few years. She doesn’t rush him, does her best to empathise, even now. She may be a strict Ladybug, but she will not be a cold one. His breath comes out shaking, and she holds him.

His eyes, all green with the magic of the transformation, meet hers. “I’m sorry,” he breathes, before he removes the ring. The transformation drops in a dark flash, Adrien Agreste is lying before her, and a small black Kwami hovers by his head. Marinette knows his name; Tikki has spoken of her other half at length in the past.

Plagg is as sombre as he’s ever been. “I’m sorry, kid.”

“I’m sorry too.” Adrien sounds more distant than ever now.

“Thank you,” she says, and he looks at her again. “Thank you, Adrien. You’ve done the right thing.”

“I hope so,” he says. “I - I’ll find help. I promise. When I’m home. I’ll find someone to talk to, someone who can help.” Marinette nods, but her throat is so constricted she can barely breathe. If she tries to speak, she will only cry. “I uh - I think I should go back. Before anyone notices I’ve left.”

He drops the silver ring into the palm of Marinette’s hand. Plagg is watching her closely, not saying anything.

She had thought that the moment he finally left would be somehow dramatic or great, but no. He’s there one minute and gone the next, his ring in her hand and his old kwami hovering at her side, ears drooped, watching his old partner vanish into the green. Marinette doesn’t speak. Neither does Plagg.

It’s Damian who breaks the silence. “I’m going with you to Paris.”

Eyes still locked on the place where she last saw Adrien, she nods. “Okay.”


	8. i. Once More Unto The Breach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On home soil again, Marinette puts her plan into action, Ladybug goes up against the akuma Grimoiselle, and Damian has Seen Some Shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's chapter was written during a week of extreme emotional distress for me, so apologies in advance if it comes across in the text. You guys' loveliness has been the only thing keeping me smiling these last few days. This is for you all <3

The class mill about Charles de Gaulle Airport for a while, waiting for the all-clear to pass through the gates and rejoin their families. No one is quite sure what they should say, least of all in regards to Marinette, her penpal-cum-boyfriend, or said boyfriend’s older brother, both of whom joined them on the flight. (First Class, courtesy of Wayne Enterprises!) Only Chloe and Nathaniel, an odd combination if there ever was one, seem at ease.

Lila had boasted of her many First Class experiences for the first half of the journey, though not as many paid her attention as before, and after she was called out by their hostess for claiming that it’s perfectly okay to be late for First Class flights (”It’s very _rude_, young lady!”) Chloe cackled loudly about it for the next ten minutes, and she shut up entirely.

Back on home soil, Marinette tries to quell her rising nerves but it’s hard going; home means back to the grind, to fighting Hawkmoth and Mayura, back to sleepless nights and early mornings. (She had so loved sleeping in at Wayne Manor.) It also means back to ostracization, courtesy of her classmates.

Well, not _all_ of them. She looks away from the window, where she had been watching the Wayne Enterprises plane turn itself around, and smiles over at Kim, Alix and Max.

* * *

Kim approaches her on the morning they’re due to leave, uneasy and with Alix and Max following on his tail. “Hey Marinette,” he says. “You o- Are you okay?”

She drudges up a smile and says, “Yeah, Kim. Thanks.”

“You were - That was -” He cuts off and begins again. “You were pretty badass back there, at the hotel. I - Thanks.”

“Yeah,” Alix agrees. “The way you went against the Joker like that? Metal.” The trio had been the least drawn in by Lila’s gravitational pull, and though time has eroded her relationships with them, Marinette thinks they may be repaired. “Did you see how Lila pushed Alya out of the way?” Alix cackles, and Max laughs nervously, adjusting his glasses on reflex.

“She - She gave her quite a shove, didn’t she?”

“Serves her right,” Alix says, falling silent when Kim nudges her pointedly. Marinette hasn’t the energy to care what’s being said about her old friend.

A throat clears behind her and Marinette turns around, coming face to face with Jason and Tim. To give them some privacy, Kim, Alix and Max back away.

“Dumb and Dumber are just about ready to go,” Tim says. He throws away his empty coffee cup and, now having nothing else to do with them, shoves his hands in his pockets. “They’re talking to the pilot. Shouldn’t be too long.”

“There’s really no need to let us use your plane,” Marinette says, laughing in the way she always does when she’s nervous. “It’s too much, really.”

“Hey, you kicked the Joker’s ass,” Jason says. “You can _have _the plane if you want it. You want it?”

She laughs, then realises he isn’t joking and starts waving her hands. “Don’t be silly! What would I do with a plane?”

“She’s right,” Jason says, looking to Tim. “If _we_ keep the plane we can visit Paris whenever.”

Tim nods sagely. “Well I hope everything goes well back there. Keep yourself safe, you know? Do more of that... _whatever it was_ you did to the Joker. Do you want to tell us yet, by any chance?”

“Would you believe me if I said I _can’t _tell you for your own safety?” Marinette asks, grinning to indicate that she’s joking. But really though.

“I’d believe it if you told me cartoon bluebirds tied your pigtails every morning,” Jason says, shrugging. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter. We all have our secrets. We just want you to know, if things in Paris don’t get any better, we’ve got your back.”

* * *

Marinette smiles wider at the memory and returns to watching the plane. It’s taxiing towards the hangars now.

“So how was First Class?” Damian comes to stand beside her and they both ignore Dick cooing at them in the background.

“Eh, it was okay. But really though,” she continues, laughing nervously, “you shouldn’t have. It’s not good for me to get used to luxury like that.”

He eyes her up and down and says, “If you think _that _was luxury...”

“Damian! I mean it! Don’t go... _spoiling_ me.” She turns red and looks away, crossing her arms when a grin slips onto his face.

The doors open and finally the class are allowed to leave. Marinette takes one last look at the plane, then turns to follow the crowd. Damian walks at her side.

“So what happens now?”

“I need to talk to my team mates,” she says quietly. “I’ll see what they have to say and then work from there.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Their eyes meet and she knows what he’s suggesting.

“A Miraculous problem needs Miraculous people,” she says, glancing at the back of Chloe’s head, golden ponytail swaying gently side to side. “I wouldn’t want Robin to be spotted in Paris anyway. People would talk.”

There’s a tiny pause. “Robin isn’t exactly what I was thinking.”

Her eyes widen. “I - But no! You can’t do _that_, it’s too - too -”

“What?” he asks softly. Before she’s forced to answer _that _question, a far away boom brings them all crashing back to Earth and Marinette’s eyes narrow a smidge. She waits. Then comes the distant screaming and the not-so-distant but ever familiar, “_AKUMA ALERT. AKUMA ALERT. PLEASE RETREAT TO A SAFE PLACE UNTIL THE THREAT IS NEUTRALISED._”

Marinette looks to Chloe, mouths “cover me” and takes advantage of the sudden panic to escape, heading straight for the fight. Chloe will make sure no one notices her absence.

She ducks into a backroom, transforms, and then for the first time in a few weeks, Ladybug is spotted bolting across the Parisian landscape.

* * *

The alert blares across the city incessantly, grating on the nerves of Ryuko and Viperion.

“This is the third time this week!” he says as they race towards their destination. “When’s Hawkmoth gonna let up?”

“When Ladybug makes him,” Ryuko says.

“Yeah, good old Ladybug,” Viperion can’t help but grumble, in a bad mood because this akuma has disrupted his song writing. They vault a building divide and leap from one roof to the next. “When the hell is she gonna get back, anyway?”

From behind, then, a familiar voice says, “Right now, my little viper,” and the two heroes skid to a stop. Ladybug is there! She’s back!

Ryuko releases a quiet breath. “It is _so _good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you both as well,” she says, smiling for a second before she’s all business. “But now’s not the time. We have an akuma to catch.”

* * *

As soon as they’re able, Dick and Damian are in pursuit of Ladybug and the akuma, determined to witness the attack for themselves. Dick had spent the flight over browsing the now-defunct Ladyblog, watching footage of old attacks. He had also found scant footage of the infamous Mourning Star attack on YouTube, but it was only of the early hours. None from later on, of the other two days.

“_AKUMA ALERT. AKUMA ALERT. PLEASE RETREAT TO A SAFE PLACE UNTIL THE THREAT IS NEUTRALISED._”

They follow the sounds as best they can; at first it’s a struggle through panicking crowds, but as the alert continues to blare out in ear-piercing French, the Parisians around them seem to calm somewhat. They’re still panicked, but not so frenzied. Some vanish into designated “akuma” buildings to take shelter, others can be seen looking up the akuma’s location on their phones and deciding it’s far enough away that they don’t need to be worried. Strangely, a man stood atop a building holding a _butterfly net_, of all things, calls down warnings to the civilians below.

“She’s calling herself Grimoiselle,” a woman they pass is telling her friend, reading from her phone. “Some librarian, apparently. Doesn’t say anything else yet.”

“Are people here really so casual?” Damian asks, incredulous.

“They’re desensitized,” Dick corrects. “Not casual. This entire city’s built up around the attacks.” As he says this, they pass another akuma shelter, as if to emphasise his point. “Now hurry up or we’ll miss it.”

“Talk about desensitized,” Damian grumbles. By the time they get to the location of the fight, one of Paris’ many bridges, it’s already well underway.

“What’s going on?” Dick asks a group stood watching from a safe-ish distance. He’s already having to fight against his own instincts to help and it’s only going to get worse as the fight progresses.

“I heard Ladybug telling Viperion and Ryuko that they akuma’s in the book the woman’s holding,” he says. “She’s using it to conjure stuff up. Just blew a hole in the road.”

Damian isn’t paying attention to them, or to the smoking crater just ahead; his gaze is wholly and fixedly on the trio of heroes convened at the other end of the bridge. They’re being barraged with - _swords?_ \- flying at them independent of any wielder, only held back by the transparent pink glow of a shield Ladybug is producing... with her _yoyo?_"

Grimoiselle is hovering above the ground, cackling so loudly it rings in Damian’s ears. She has taken on an appearance that _cannot _be her own; grey skin and darker grey hair, black eyes, tongue, clothed in a swampy green and purple dress.

“She doesn’t look real,” he can’t help but say, even though he knows from his own research that the process of akumatization alters one’s appearance.

The trio at the end of the bridge leap to life in an instant and Damian’s heart skips a beat. Ladybug throws out her yoyo and propels herself up onto a nearby rooftop as Viperion draws Grimoiselle’s attention. He heckles her, beckoning her closer. The akuma snarls and follows, successfully baited. Ryuko, for now, keeps out of the way. It goes against all of Damian’s instincts not to jump to action himself, but he knows he can’t. Really, that makes it _worse_.

“_Grimoire!_” the akuma calls out then. Her wrecked voice is a terrible thing to hear. “Give me _fire!_” To the amazement of the watchers on the ground, the book she holds starts to glow, and then...

“Is that a _flamethrower?_” Dick asks, appalled. The question is answered for him when the akuma proceeds to indeed throw flames at Viperion only a second later. He dodges out of the fire’s path easily, but Grimoiselle is ready to go again before he is. Ladybug’s yoyo zips down before Viperion can be chargrilled and snags the wrist of the hand holding the flamethrower.

Roaring, Grimoiselle abandons her previous target and turns the deadly weapon on Ladybug. The fire bursts forth but Ladybug only has to leap up to a higher elevation - one too high for the flamethrower’s reach - to avoid it. Damian, heart hammering painfully in his chest, makes his fists unclench. His nails have dug into the palms of his hands and caused them to bleed. He’s rooted to the spot, but his body twitches with each move the akuma makes, because _he should be helping_.

Viperion has drawn Grimoiselle’s attention again and Ryuko springs into action now, positioning herself behind the akuma and chanting something that the watchers cannot hear.

“What do you think it’ll be this time?” one of them, the man next to Dick, asks. The brothers are confused, but only for a moment. They gasp as she vanishes before their eyes and the wind seems to pick up drastically, then to an impossible intensity that the observers can feel too. “Ah, Air Dragon! Brilliant!”

The wind circles the akuma and tears the book from her grasp, Ladybug takes a running dive from the rooftop towards it -

But Grimoiselle sees her and levies the flamethrower again, fire spits out right at Ladybug, _consumes Ladybug_. The brothers and Viperion cry out at the same time, only Viperion reaches for his bracelet, moves the snakehead on it back and chants, “_Second Chance!_” Then the fire is gone and Ladybug is back on the roof, about to jump for the book and Viperion leaps forward at the same time, tackling Grimoiselle full body down to the tarmac, just as she is hefting the flamethrower in Ladybug’s direction.

They hit the ground, Ladybug grabs hold of the book, and the unnatural wind dies away, just like that.

Ladybug lands gracefully, tears the enchanted book down the middle and a small, purple butterfly comes fluttering from the divide. She captures it, cleanses it and releases. A shock of ladybugs, _thousands _of the things, washes over the site of the attack, and just like that the crater in the road is gone. Grimoiselle is too, replaced by a perfectly ordinary woman, collapsed in a heap on the tarmac.

Ryuko reforms at Ladybug’s side and they smile at each other while Viperion helps the woman to her feet. Across the bridge, Damian feels like all the air has been punched from his lungs. He tries but he - _he can’t breathe properly_. There had been fire, he was sure of it. So much fire, eating the air, _swallowing up Ladybug_.

Dick’s hand rests on his shoulder but it doesn’t shake him from his stupor. He _knows _what he saw. He saw Ladybug consumed by fire, and then just like nothing had happened, restored. _Marinette_.

“Can you believe we were making fun of Hawkmoth when we first found out about him?” Dick asks. He’s pale with fury - not at the heroes or the victim, but at Hawkmoth - and his limbs shake with repressed emotion. Damian swallows but his throat is too dry for it to have any effect. A memory dances on the edge of his mind, teasing at him in smoke-like wisps. Ladybug was never taken by the fire, she stands before him now, but even so...

_He knows what he saw_.

* * *

Marinette has barely detransformed and stepped out of the airport bathroom before she’s accosted by a woman barely taller than she is. She smells of baking and persimmons, and the curious sting of smoke occupying Marinette’s nostrils vanishes as her world is taken up by Sabine Dupain-Cheng.

“Marinette!” she exclaims. “Oh, my little girl. You’re okay.”

“Hello maman,” she mutters, closing her eyes. “I missed you.”

“Same here, kiddo,” Tom Dupain-Cheng says from where he’s stood at her mother’s back. He beams proudly. “We heard you saved a few people over there!” Marinette just hums and sinks further into her mother’s arms.

“I’ve invited your friends over for dinner tonight, by the way,” Sabine says. She releases her and pats her on the cheek. “Won’t that be nice?”

“Hey, Du- Marinette.” It’s Chloe.

Her parents tense a bit when the blonde walks over, so Marinette says, “Chloe helped me save everyone at the hotel!” She smiles to signal that it’s all good, and they relax again, which isn't to say they look _happy_; they really don't. “What’s up?”

“Uh...” Chloe glances at her parents. “I just - wanted to -”

“We’ll give you girls some space,” Tom says. He and Sabine step away, shooting them an odd look. They both know of the trouble Marinette had at Chloe's hands in years past, so she's not surprised that they're wary.

Chloe observes Marinette with a raised eyebrow, silent, for a moment. Then she says, “If you’d given me the Bee when we were in Gotham, I could have helped you just there.”

Marinette rolls her eyes. “Meet me at the spot later and I’ll take care of it.”

It had taken her quite some time to find the perfect location for the wielders’ hideout, but she had managed it eventually. Hidden away in the15th Arrondissement, surrounded on all sides by taller buildings, theirs is a somewhat dilapidated old place, long since abandoned but with a handy dandy skylight that they use to come and go.

She’s tried turning it into a cozier space; sewing special curtains to hang in all the windows, bringing along some chairs and even a sofa she found in charity shops around Paris, but it’s not so simple. There’s only so much home touch one can add to a place that doesn’t even have working electricity.

“If I’m going to be a permanent member of this team, I’ll have to pour some money into that _hole_,” Chloe says. “It’s fine for an occasional drop in. It doesn’t work as an HQ. I’ll take care of it,” she adds before Marinette can protest.

“I - It’s not a _hole_,” she grouses, crossing her arms.

“Whatever you say, Dupain-Cheng.” Chloe rolls her eyes. “I’ll meet you there.”

“Five o’clock,” Marinette says. “The soonest I’ll be able to get away.” She glances back at her parents, who look impatient to leave.

“Five o’clock,” Chloe agrees. “And remember: _bring the Bee_.”

* * *

Despite the chill in the air which does _not_ help with her hibernation-related issues at all, and what she _thinks_ might be mildew creeping into one of the walls, it's incredibly comforting to be back in the hideout. Marinette and Chloe take in the room, unchanged since they were last there, and exchange a glance.

"I'm having central heating installed," Chloe says. "I'm not saving Paris in these conditions. It's _freezing_."

"It'll be worse once you start using your Miraculous a lot," Marinette says, and she would know. She's wearing a puffer jacket over her suit, and it isn't even winter yet. Reaching into her pocket and withdrawing the small box she’s just retrieved from Master Fu (carefully dodging any questions about Chat Noir), she begins to pace about nervously.

"All the more reason to get heating put in," she says, but the conviction vanished from her voice the second she first saw the box, and now she looks worlds away.

“I’ve asked Viperion and Ryuko here,” Marinette says, still pacing. One hand rests on her hip, and the other holds the box containing the Bee Miraculous; she tosses it up and down as she goes. Chloe tracks its movement with her eyes. “It’s not just you I’m going to. We don’t have a Chat anym- for the time being. I need a permanent team to help me pick up the slack. That’s you and them, if they agree, and then... Well, I'll explain when they get here.”

Chloe says nothing, just continues to stare at the miniature Miracle Box in Marinette’s hand. Finally, she sighs and stops pacing, turning to face the blonde head on.

“Chloe Bourgeois,” she begins, “in trusting you with this box, and with the power it contains, you agree to stand at my side, always. To face with me the villains of Paris and all of the darkness which they bring. You are the shield which guards the people of this world from anything that would seek to harm them. A watcher in the shadows, the sword which defends all who cannot defend themselves.” Chloe is watching her, gape-mouthed now. Marinette takes a long breath, then holds out the box. “Can I trust you?”

For some seconds, Chloe cannot speak. Her voice cracks when she tries to. “I uh - I - yes.” Her eyes harden and she begins again. “_Yes_, Ladybug. You can trust me.” She takes the box from the palm of Marinette’s hand, and clutches it in her own.

Then, wasting no more time, she opens the box, places the honeycomb in her hair, and beams, triumphant, as Pollen materialises.

“My Queen!” the tiny kwami chirps. “I’m so pleased to see you again.”

“Me too,” Chloe says, a triumphant smile now taking over her face. “Pollen, _buzz on!_” The room fills with golden light and seconds later, Queen Bee stands where Chloe Bourgeois had.

She yells out loud with joy, leaping up and touching the ceiling easily. She takes a sprint around the room, spins in a circle, jumps up high again, laughing like a carefree child in a way Marinette has never heard before and wouldn’t believe Chloe _capable_ of it she weren’t witnessing it for herself. She can’t help but smile at the sight.

Then Queen Bee halts in the middle of her gleeful celebrations and Ladybug freezes too; they can hear something nearby, and the hideout is pretty out of the way. You’d only go there if you were looking for something.

They turn towards the source of the noise, the ceiling, and wait to see what will happen. Then, the skylight slides open and two shadowy figures drop into the room. Heart in her mouth, Marinette is ready to fight -

Before the figures step out of the shadows and she sees that it’s Luka and Kagami. Or rather, Viperion and Ryuko. She releases her held breath, drops from her fighting stance and crosses her arms.

“Knock before you drop in next time,” she scolds. “I almost hit you.” Then losing the will to be stern, she sighs. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Ladybug,” Kagami says, nodding to her. “We didn’t have time to speak earlier. I’m happy to see you again.” She smiles, then comes to Chloe, at Marinette’s side, and pauses. “Queen Bee, how are you?”

She raises her eyebrows. “I’m uh - well. Thanks... Ryuko.” Marinette isn’t surprised to see that they’re so awkward with each other; this hasn’t been a hero combo she’s used before.

Ryuko and Viperion watch Queen Bee for another moment, unsure about whether they should proceed; they exchange a wary look. Viperion shrugs then, and steps further into the room.

“We brought the akumas from when you were away,” he says. “Figure it’s your job to cleanse them, LB.”

Marinette smiles at them. “I’m glad you’re here,” she says, glancing at Queen Bee. “I have a proposal for you both.”

* * *

She rushes home the second the meeting finishes; she’s promised her parents she would be there for dinner at seven and as she flies over rooftops back towards the patisserie, it’s already five minutes past. She lands in a nearby alleyway, drops transformation, and runs full pelt the rest of the way.

“_Sorry I’m late!_” she cries, bursting through the door to the living room.

Her mother hums amusedly and sips her tea. “It’s nice to see things return to normal so quickly.” Marinette sticks her tongue out at her playfully - and freezes.

Damian is sat on her sofa with Dick at his side. They both smile at her, though from Damian it seems stiff, and her brain comes to a screeching halt.

“Er - I - uh...”

“Don’t you remember us inviting them for dinner?” Sabine tuts. Marinette’s brain continues to clunk along, not quite keeping up, before everything snaps back into place all of a sudden. It’s enough to give her whiplash. “Come and sit down, dear, don’t just stand there! I haven’t seen you for _days_.”

“And since then you’ve been adventuring around America,” her dad says. “I’m jealous!”

Her mother pats the space on the sofa next to her and her father budges up to give her room. Marinette sits down between them and feels a sense of serenity wash over her person. Sabine pats her on the leg then, beams at her, and turns back to the brothers sat across from them.

“How are you finding Paris so far?” she asks.

“It’s great!” Dick says. “It’s been _years_ since I was in France. Not since I was a kid, I think.”

“We’d only just got off the plane when that... akuma thing appeared,” Damian adds, playing up his role as clueless American perfectly, even as he stares at Marinette and remembers the fire. She's been worried about that; about whether he and Dick witnessed the disturbance. She knows now, from the look in his eye - the look in both of their eyes - that they saw the whole thing. Sabine sucks in a breath and holds her cup tighter in her hands.

Tom shakes his head, expression grim. “I’m sorry you had to see that. Everyone thought things were only going to get worse after Mourning Star, but they actually calmed down a bit. There’s never been an attack as harsh as hers, before or since.”

“Perhaps Hawkmoth has a conscious too, deep down,” Sabine sniffs. Contrary to her words, her tone is full of prim judgement. _Fat chance of that_, Marinette thinks, but she doesn’t say so.

“Even so,” continues Tom, “it’s a shame you had to see it.”

“No, no, it didn’t bother us,” Dick hastens to say, a new, hard glint in his eyes. “We haven’t heard anything about Hawkmoth in America.” Tom and Sabine exchange a significant look and stay silent. “Of course, Marinette told us a little, but the subject seemed to bother her, so we didn’t ask any more.”

He smiles at her then, open and friendly as ever, but she knows his game; Dick Grayson has just cemented himself as one of Tom and Sabine’s Favourite People. Her parents beam at him.

“Yes, thank you so much for looking after our girl, after all that awful business.” They don’t mention the Joker by name, but his presence is heavy in the room. Marinette’s throat is still scratchy from the pool.

“Oh, of course,” Dick says, waving them off. “We were delighted to have you stay with us, Marinette. Leant some class to the place for once.”

Tom and Sabine both laugh and, perhaps in a move to give she and Damian a minute alone, invite Dick to follow them into the bakery, and choose some treats for he and Damian to take home. Dick protests but they insist, and lead him from the living room.

“Richard wants to talk to Ladybug in person,” Damian says the second it’s just them. He leans in and grasps her hand in his, like he’s using it to make sure she’s still warm; still alive. “He’s been thinking of ways to go about it; perhaps best to just cut out the middle man.”

“In what way?” she hisses. “It’s not like I have a _Ladybug _Signal!” Though perhaps Chloe still has that silly old Bee Signal.

“I thought we might be able to formulate a plan,” he says, speaking more urgently now because they can hear Dick returning. “Better to plan ahead than let him jump you unawares.”

Marinette shrugs. “I’ll think of something.”

“_WHAT?_”

“I always do.”

"You always - Like when you took a _running leap from the TOP of a BUILDING earlier?_"

"I knew Ryuko would catch me."

Then Dick is back, grinning when the two of them leap back from each other. “Now now, Damian,” he says slyly, “don’t you remember what Jason said?”

“Bite me, Grayson,” he grumbles half-heartedly. Next to him, Marinette begins to concoct a plan, and she texts it through to Damian as her parents return and announce that dinner is served.

_Tell him you’ve been looking into Ladybug,_ she begins. _Tell him I sometimes stop in the 17th Arrondissement on patrol. I’ll meet him there tonight_

Damian reads the message, meets her eye, and nods.

The 17th Arrondissement is purely residential, and unlike the rest of the city there’s nothing that would keep people out late. Reduces the risk of Nightwing being seen, she figures. Hours later, under cover of darkness, she stands atop one of the Arrondissement’s houses, waiting. She doesn’t wait long.

The shadows to her side move, shift, and then Nightwing is there. “You’re Ladybug,” he says.

“I am. And you are...?” she asks, careful to play up the clueless aspect.

“Nightwing,” he says. “I’m a hero in Gotham City. I - The Justice League has only recently discovered the extent of the Hawkmoth situation. They wanted someone to check it out.”

“Ah. Well thank you for coming all this way, but I don’t think foreign intervention is necessary. We can take care of the problem by ourselves.”

“Speaking of ‘by ourselves’...” Nightwing glances around the darkened area, searching. “Is it just you out here?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” she asks, genuinely confused now. Even when she and Chat had patrolled together, they always split off onto two different routes. _All the better to cover the city, my dear._

“I just mean - You patrol _alone?_ No one to back you up? Where are your other team mates?” Nightwing seems truly upset by this, and Marinette panics internally.

“I - I - Well the way things work here in Paris must just be _different_ to Gotham!” she rushes to say. “And it’s no big deal, I can take care of myself. I know this city like the back of my palm - I mean the _palm of my hand!_” Her inner fumbler is coming out in full force and if she doesn’t want Nightwing to get suspicious, she has to reign it in.

“Even so, it would make me feel better to know that you’re okay out here,” he says warily. “You’re only _young_, aren’t you?”

“I - _No!_ I’m not young, I’m _old_. Very old. I mean, not _very very_, but old enough to do this by myself, so don’t you worry Nightwing! You can head on back to America, everything’s okay here. Under control. Thank you!” She zips away before he can protest, trying not to berate herself in full view of the supremely concerned hero left standing alone on the rooftop.

Nightwing watches her go, and decides he needs to talk to his father when he gets home.

“_That _could have gone smoother,” Tikki says fifteen minutes later, when Marinette drops her transformation and face plants onto her bed, groaning.

* * *

In Gotham, Bruce Wayne watches his butler... _butle about_, and he wonders. Alfred had been awfully gracious to Marinette during her stay. That in itself is no surprise; he’s gracious to everyone, but somehow this is different. He had _treated _Marinette differently. Almost paternally. Not for the first time, Bruce wonders about Alfred’s past prior to Gotham, only jokingly at first, but then more seriously.

It’s like the man knows something about her that the rest of them don’t, and if what Bruce suspects about the girl is _true_...

“Alfred,” he calls, his voice echoing across the Batcave. The butler halts in his tracks, where he’s going from display case to display case, polishing. He turns around.

“Yes, Master Bruce?”

“About Marinette...” He watches the older man closely, but Alfred has no tell, so the exercise is ultimately pointless. “I have this theory about her. Regarding a possible connection to the situation in Paris.” Nothing changes about Alfred’s face, but his eyes take on a glimmer. Bruce’s lips thin. “I think you know what I’m talking about. I think Marinette is Ladybug.”


	9. i. One More Special Case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason and Tim uncover the Great Ladybug Conspiracy, another Miraculous is given a new home, and Damian's world gets rocked, though perhaps not quite in the way he had hoped for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI, I merged chapters one and two of this story together because they're both so short on their own. No chapter has been accidentally deleted!
> 
> Thank you all, again. Reviews and kudos super appreciated <3

Marinette and Chloe take an evening patrol across the city a couple of days after Queen Bee is made a permanent wielder. They head past the Louvre, looking down into the streets as they go. Mostly peaceful, luckily.

“I still don’t get why you think this is a good idea.” Marinette sighs and closes her eyes as Chloe starts in again. “Really, I know you have this weird... soft spot for him, but he’s never even used a Miraculous before!”

“Which is why it wouldn’t be permanent,” she explains for the nth time. “Not yet. He’d have the Miraculous to help us out during attacks and when we’re helping him train to use it, but I’d keep it otherwise. Then, once I’m sure about him -”

“Once _we’re _sure about him,” Chloe cuts in.

“Right. Once we’re all sure about him, we make it permanent. As a team!”

Chloe is silent for a minute. Then, she nods. “Hmph. Well fine. Do whatever. I’m still not convinced though.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to be.” Where Chloe’s attitude might have irked Marinette once, she finds increasingly that it instead amuses her. “I’ll fetch the Miraculous tonight and we’ll go and visit him, together. Okay?”

Queen Bee, satisfied, throws out her stinger and flies off onto her solo patrol route. Marinette watches her go with a patiently amused smile, and turns onto her own. Then, for the second time in as many days, she finds her path forwards blocked by the imposing figure of Nightwing. She suppresses her panic as the American hero approaches and tries to appear more annoyed than anything else, hoping her attitude will convince him to just move on.

It doesn't. "Ladybug," he begins. "I'm glad I found you. How - Are you okay?" He's looking at her like he wants to _kidnap_ her, or no. More like roll her up in a length of bubble wrap. It makes her tense, because there's only one reason she can think of for him looking at her in that way. But Damian wouldn't have blabbed.

Would he?

Her eyes narrow. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"No reason, it's just..." He trails off and heaves a great sigh. “I need to talk to you, Ladybug.” He sounds so grave that it stops her in her tracks and makes her heart thud in that peculiar way it does when you know something bad is coming.

“W-Why?”

Nightwing takes a deep breath, meets her eye, and says, “Because I know who you are.”

The world falls away and Marinette goes stumbling back, stopping herself just in time to avoid pitching from the roof. Nightwing jolts forwards to catch her, eyes wide.

“It’s okay!” he says. “I’m not here to hurt you! Really, I’m not. I’m here to help.”

Breathless, she says, “I know what you’re here for.” She stops, her eyes narrow. “How did you find out?”

“I - I can’t tell you.” Because he’s not sure if he should.

Her jaw sets. “_Right_,” she says in a hard tone, and she’s off before he can stop her, swinging back home...

Only not quite home. Nightwing follows, perturbed, but with her yoyo she outstrips him and he can’t do anything but call, “_Stop!_” when he sees that she’s heading for his apartment, where Damian is. If he hadn’t already known that she’s Marinette, he may have pieced it together now.

She lands hard on the ground in the alley behind the building, drops transformation and is storming inside before he can stop her, a five foot five ball of untempered fury. Cursing, he has to stop her and get himself inside discreetly, without being seen. Transformations are alright for _some_...

This gives her a decent head start and by the time he’s bursting through the front door, Marinette and Damian are going at each other like a pair of angry bobcats. And no, _not _in the way Jason joked about.

“He found out _somehow!_” Marinette says, waving her hands in the air. _“I_ didn’t tell him!”

“I can assure you that I didn’t either,” Damian says shortly, turning a lethal glare on Dick upon noticing him. “_Well?_ How did you find out?”

“Batman told me.”

Marinette stills. “Your... father?”

“_Father_ \- Damian, why does she know who Batman is? And why do _you _know who _she _is?”

“She transformed in front of me!” “_He pulled out a Bat shaped grapple hook in front of me!_”

Dick breathes out heavily through his nose, holds up his hands to stop them and then runs his hands down his face, restless with frustration. “You took out Bat-branded equipment in front of a civilian?”

“I thought we were going to_ die!_ It was our only way down from that roof.”

“From that - Oh, _Damian_.”

“Don’t ‘oh Damian’ me, Grayson! I did what I thought I had to do.”

All the anger has drained from Marinette as she watches the brothers bicker on at each other. She purses her lips, crosses her arms and shouts, “_Hey!_ Stop it, both of you. Don’t make me come over there!” Dick and Damian blink at her, a colour risen in their cheeks from exertion; at the sight, she has to remind herself that they aren’t blood related.

“I’m sorry, Marinette,” Damian says after a moment. “I didn’t mean to cause you any distress.”

A smile pushes at her lips. “You haven’t ‘caused me distress’,” she denies. “But shouting won’t help. I’m sorry I lost my temper with you.”

“That wasn’t your fault,” he says quickly, throwing another look at Dick. “He shouldn’t have cornered you like that.”

“Uh, enough with the blame game, thank you,” Dick says irritably. “Marinette, this is serious. Do your parents know about Ladybug?”

She can hardly hit back with, “Does Bruce know about Robin?” so instead she says, “I’m not incapable. Damian became Robin when he was younger than I was when I became Ladybug.”

“That isn’t what I asked,” he says. “And besides, Damian became Robin _only _because he had a solid support network. From what I’ve seen, you head this entire operation by yourself. I mean, I can guess from your previous answer that your parents don’t in fact know.” Feeling cornered, Marinette looks away, staring intently at an abstract painting on the wall as if it might suck her in if only she concentrates hard enough. When Dick speaks again, his voice is softer.

“Marinette, it’s okay for you to need help with this. It’s a huge responsibility for one person to handle, and however strong you are, your shoulders aren’t quite big enough to carry all of it alone.”

“I’m not alone,” she protests, however feeble she knows it sounds. “I have my team.”

“And how old are all of they?” he asks pointedly, and of course she can’t answer _that_.

"How does your father know?" she replies, rather than make something up. "Why would... Why would he tell you?"

"Because he wants me to look out for you. He's worried you're going to get hurt."

* * *

"This akuma... It produced a flamethrower from _nowhere!_ She was shooting it off everywhere, and I -" Dick had huffed over the phone, frustrated. "I feel like I saw her burn Ladybug. I mean, she can't have, Ladybug's fine, but it's just - It's there, on the edge of my mind. Like I saw it happen but then I forgot." That had been six hours ago. So Bruce had told Dick the truth.

He breathes out and looks at the screen in the Batcave. Marinette Dupain-Cheng smiles out at him and next to her, Ladybug stands strong and proud. They are the same person, he knows. This being the case, _Marinette_ was attacked with a flamethrower. And she drowned two months ago. And she was crushed beneath falling concrete when she fought Mourning Star. Any "almosts" involved don't come into play. _Who is looking after this girl?_

"Fucking hell." He rubs at his temple and tries to quell a rising headache. Dick is responsible though; he'll make sure to get the answers they need, and hopefully watch out for the poor girl while he's at it. She's seeing a therapist, he knows, but how good are they? He resolves to look into them as well.

"Yo! Bruce, what's happening?" It's Jason. He quickly closes the Ladybug files and sets the screen to a random police report on Poison Ivy. Alfred, also present, raises an eyebrow at him but doesn't comment. Good. He doesn't need _all_ his damned kids finding out about Marinette and descending on Paris like a vengeful flock of birds.

"Nothing, Jason," he says in his best strict voice. "Ivy's been acting up. I need to check her out. See you later." He stands and heads for the Batmobile without waiting for a response. He gets one anyway.

"I won't tell Selina if you don't!"

Pulling on the cowl, Batman really hopes there's actually a crime or two happening right now, because he doesn't want to be stuck driving around Gotham until Jason gets bored and goes away. He speeds out of the Cave and leaves his adopted son and adopted father in his dust, both appearing to be completely nonplussed. Only one of them actually is.

“There’s something he’s not telling us,” Jason says.

“I’m sure there are many things Master Bruce neglects to mention.”

There’s something in Alfred’s voice that gives him pause. He narrows his eyes. “You know what it is, don’t you? God, I hate this fucking family. What’s going on? Is it Paris?”

But Alfred continues to insist that he knows nothing at all (which is a blatant lie, because Jason is pretty sure he knows more than their entire family put together), so he decides to try a different tract; he goes and blabs to Tim.

"Something's going on with Bruce and Alfred knows what it is, but neither of them will tell me."

Tim, on the other end of the phone, is silent for a moment. "I haven't heard you whine like this since you still called me 'replacement'. Bruce probably has a thousand secrets, who cares?"

"_I_ do!" He calms himself down and adds, "I think it's to do with Ladybug." On the other end of the line, Tim is silent. "Remember her? The insanely mysterious Parisian hero you spent a solid two weeks researching? Bruce knows something about her, and he isn't telling."

"Goddamn it." Tim sighs, and Jason can see him reaching for his coffee machine in his mind's eye. "Alright. What do you want to do about it?"

"Hey, we're detectives too aren't we? We - y'know - detectivise it."

"Ugh, I hate you," Tim says. "Never say that again."

"Are you in or not?" he asks, already knowing the answer.

And so The Great Ladybug Conspiracy is born.

* * *

The ring of the Black Cat rests on the table before them.

Damian stares at it openly and he isn't afraid to say that if Marinette asked him to take up the mantel of the Cat, he would do it without hesitation. He doesn't sit at home and watch other people do the fighting. He just doesn't. He's come all the way to Paris with the mind of trying to, but now he's seen Marinette _die_, and he knows passivity isn't an option. He wants to _help her_, but he can't if she won't let him.

"I don't want Nightwing and Robin being spotted by the wrong people," she said last night. "Help if you want, but we need to be careful about this." So when she told him, early Saturday morning, to come over he wasn't sure what to expect. Not _this_ at least.

"The Cat Miraculous embodies the power of destruction," she explains. He glances over her shoulder as she speaks, and watches the small, black thing she calls Plagg, devour a plate of cheese. "Now, peoples' powers can manifest in slightly different ways, but the principle remains the same. With the power of destruction on someone's side, all it takes is a single touch to turn anything to ash at their fingertips."

"The dinosaurs weren't shit," Plagg calls, and the red one, Tikki, scolds him. All that power, contained in a ring, and a foul-mouthed cat fetus.

"Why are you telling me this?" Damian asks, and a hint of colour rises to her cheeks. Not a lot, but enough to be curious.

"I'm telling you our history." She indicates now the tome, also on the desk. It reminds him of something he's been thinking about a lot. "Master Fu said I could borrow it for a short -"

"Do you die often during akuma attacks?" The image of the last one hefting her grimoire into the air, calling for fire, is burned into his retinas.

She blinks at him. "I - What?"

"Grimoiselle, _the fire_, I -"

“There was no fire! I mean, there _was_, but I dodged it. I’m okay.”

“I know what I saw,” he insists. “Viperion chanted something and time reversed. You were okay again, but it still happened. I don’t - I don’t know _how _I know, it feels like I’m not _supposed _to, but I do.”

She’s quiet for a moment before she mutters to herself, “I need to talk to Viperion.”

“So do I,” he grumbles. "I can't sit back and watch you get hurt, and _do nothing_." He rarely sounds so emphatic, but he can't put it across in plainer terms that he really _cannot_ do this. If he can't help her, what the hell is he supposed to do?

Marinette doesn’t reply. She instead turns to the tome she has placed on the table before them. It looks ancient. “This is the Book of the Miraculous. It details our history, from the wielders to prominent guardians, our beginnings and the kwamis... right up until the Order’s fall.”

At first he is annoyed at her for changing the subject when he's only just done that himself, but as she speaks he must admit he’s intrigued. His eyes take in the tome almost greedily.

She opens the book and begins slowly going through its pages. The text is written in a language he doesn’t understand or recognise, and when he asks she tells him it’s the language of the guardians. “I’m supposed to be learning it,” she says with an embarrassed laugh, “but I must be a slow study.”

“Not at all,” he says, forcing a smile. “It’s the language’s fault.” She laughs again and whacks him on the arm, which he has to admit makes him melt a little bit inside. Not that he'd ever say that. Or admit it. But he loves it, just a little bit, when she touches him like that. He wasn't raised on this kind of affection; physical contact has never been a good thing before. Memories of his grandfather try to push their way to the forefront of his mind and he quashes them almost violently.

She turns another page, gentle with the ancient paper. “The thing is, though, that all this power couldn’t stay secret forever. People found out; governments, organisations, that kind of thing. They started trying to find the temple, take the Miracle Box for themselves. Several Chinese emperors, the Order of the Garter, the League of Assassins, I _think _the Italian Ma-”

“_The League of Assassins?_”

“Hm? Oh, yes. They were the most persistent, according to Master Fu.” She doesn’t notice the sharpness in his tone or how his eyes have gone out of focus. He no longer takes in the symbols on the pages or the details in the drawings, and he pitches slightly to the side, just catching himself at the last minute. He realises dimly that his soul has departed his body.

_The League knew about the Miraculous_. The League had _wanted _them, likely _fought for them_, and he knows better than anyone else what they’re like when they want something. They would not have tried once and given up. They would have kept going and going and going, until - What? They _lost?_ Damian doesn’t know, and honestly, he’s too afraid to ask.

Marinette, oblivious to the subject of his conflict, frowns at him. “Damian? What’s wrong?”

“N-Nothing. So what happened, in the end?” he manages to ask.

“Internal warring,” she says sadly. “Different wielders and guardians started vying for more control and then all of the temple’s trainees were... _convinced _to rise up against them, and everything collapsed.” For a minute, he’s able to breathe again. Then, “Master Fu always suspected outside interference though. He says the man who manipulated everything, Wen Keung, had been a plant from the start. He thinks someone else was behind it all.”

* * *

Adrien has been seeing a therapist, as he had promised her he would. Not any of the school-issued therapists that she and the rest of her classmates have been seeing, but one of those private, expensive ones that his father's assistant, Nathalie, sourced out.

"I don't know if it's doing anything," he confesses to Marinette when they meet up on the morning they all go back to school, following their grace period. They're stood together beneath a tree outside the school building, and she's bundled up in a scarf about a month before anyone else will be. In the bag hanging at her hip, Tikki has made camp inside a mitten. "I go in there and we talk," he continues, "but... I don't know."

"These things take time," she says gently. "And hey, if nothing changes, you can swap therapists! Try someone different." He hums low in his throat. "You know I'm proud of you for doing this, right?"

His answering smile is hollow. "You're going to need a new Black Cat."

The change in subject is so abrupt that it takes her a moment to even realise what he means. When she catches on, her heart breaks. "Nope," she denies, smiling and nudging him teasingly. "Ladybug doesn't need anyone!"

"You're wrong," he says, not looking at her. "The Cat and the Bug always need each other. Now you don't have a Cat. You'll need to find a new one, won't you? I don't want you getting hurt anymore."

Marinette is going to cry. No two ways about it. She sucks it up for the moment though, and searches for something to say in reply. "It's the _Bug_ and the _Cat_, actually." It's a pathetic response, and she feels guilt for even considering new wielders for the Cat Miraculous, but he isn't wrong and she knows it.

"I mean it, Mari. Don't be alone because of me."

It feels like a ball is lodged in her throat and her eyes are stinging. "Actually, there might be uh, someone else. Might be. I'm not sure yet, really, I just - I wanted to warn you beforehand. You know, I mean, I didn't want you just one day seeing it in the news, or something."

He nods, taking the news with such passivity that she winces. "Good. Make sure this one won't let you get hurt."

"You didn't - let me get hurt." But he did. They both know it's true. "Don't be a stranger, Adrien. Promise me."

"I promise. And hey, maybe the new guy won't mind me stopping in to talk to Plagg every now and then."

"You can see Plagg _whenever_ you want to," she says firmly. "I promise you that."

"Thank you," he says. "I mean - I'm not ready to see him yet. But I will be."

"I know you will," she says with all certainty, and hopes to God they're both right.

* * *

Ladybug and Queen Bee meet him under cover of darkness, in the park where the students of Francois-Dupont sometimes hang out after school. Trepidation rises in his chest the longer he listens to Ladybug's speech, and it spills over when she says, "I'd like to try you out as a Miraculous wielder. I think you have what it takes to do well."

Nathaniel Kurtzberg is stunned into silence, but only for a moment. “Why did you choose me?” he asks, and Chloe murmurs, "Well, decent recovery speed..."

Thinking back at the appalled look on Nightwing’s face when he found out she patrolled solo, Ladybug says, “Never go alone. You’ll be partnered up with Queen Bee.” At her side, Chloe stiffens. “Viperion and Ryuko work well together, so they’re matched too.”

“And who are you... _matched with_, Ladybug?” Nathaniel’s question is innocent, but when Chloe turns a sly smirk in her direction, Marinette can’t stop the blood rushing to her cheeks.

She crosses her arms, manages to compose herself, and says, “The yin to the Ladybug’s yang is the Cat.”

“But I - I thought Chat Noir quit.”

Marinette freezes as Chloe says, “Why Nathaniel, you’re right! So Ladybug, who’s the new _yin _to your _yang?_”

_Thank Tikki Damian isn’t here to witness this_. “It - It doesn’t matter! I’m _Ladybug_, I can handle it. I don’t need a new boyf- _Partner! _I don’t need a new _partner!”_ Chloe’s smirking like the bee that found the flowerbed, or some prick who knows they’ve just got one over on you.

“But I thought you said -”

“Do you want the damned Fox or not, Kurtzberg?” she asks, blushing a blazing red.

An undeniably curious look comes to his face. “I - Thank you for the honour, Ladybug, but I still don’t know _why _you’ve chosen me to be a - to be a _hero_.”

“Neither do I,” Chloe mutters. “He couldn’t catch a _balloon _until he was twelve.” Marinette shoots her a look and turns back to Nathaniel with a smile. For a moment, she imagines that it's Damian stood in front of her, but then the black hair becomes red and she remembers herself.

"Nathaniel Kurtzberg, this is the Miraculous of the Fox, which grants the power of illusion," she says, holding out a miniature Miracle Box. "You will use it for the greater good, and once the job is done, you will return the Miraculous to me. Can I trust you?”

And the question hangs in the midnight air.

* * *

A video call comes in from Paris at almost six o'clock in the morning. Normally, Jason would be extremely ticked off by something like this; such early hour business dealings are nothing short of heinous, but as he stands amidst a mess of papers, most connected haphazardly by bits of red string, it doesn't really bother him. He hasn't been to sleep, nothing bothers him. Nothing, except for The Conspiracy.

Nonetheless, he picks his way over to the screen, answers, and Dick Grayson's face appears. "Hey," he says. "I - What the _hell_ is happening over there?" He's peering around at the room that has become headquarters for The Conspiracy. It's the library, because Jason figures that's the place Bruce is least likely to visit, unless he's trying particularly hard to impress Selina, who he knows for a fact is busy doing better things right now.

"Jason's gone off the deep end," says Tim, who looks much more composed because he never sleeps anyway. "I'm just trying to control his descent."

"Doesn't look like you're doing a very good job," Dick says, looking grimly at one of his scrapped boards, labeled "Ladybug = Jagged Stone??"

"Fuck you," Tim says, kicking aside one of his fifty abandoned coffee cups, at the same time as Jason says, "Hey, screw you." It's said without much heat, because he is very tired now. Scheming all night long will do that to a man.

"How's your pulse, Timmy?" Dick asks. "Which arm is supposed to hurt when you're having a heart attack?"

"Fuck you," he says again, and he gestures to the cups. "These? These are just _choices_. And never mind them, what's up with _you?_ Is something wrong?"

Dick huffs and glances behind his shoulder, checking that he's alone before continuing. "Damian was at Marinette's house all yesterday morning," he says. "Only when he got back, he was being so _weird_. He's still not himself now. I can't _force_ him to tell me what happened, obviously, but..."

"You know what I'd do?" Jason asks. "Waterboard."

"Jason, be serious," he says.

"No can do, buckaroo." He shakes his head and then tries to recruit his brother to The Conspiracy. "Did you know that Bruce is hiding something about Ladybug from us?"

To his surprise, he looks totally nonplussed. "What? You mean you don't know?"

"_What? You_ know? Dick -"

"Sorry," he interrupts, looking over his shoulder. "Damian's coming back."

"Dick, don't you _dare_."

"Gotta go."

"_Dickson Grayson!_" And the screen goes black.

"'Dickson Grayson'," Tim repeats flatly.

"Shut the hell up," Jason grouses. "I panicked."

* * *

The line is cut well before Damian enters the living room, but he still asks, "Why were you talking to Todd and Drake?" Of course.

"They're our brothers, aren't they?" Dick asks, feigning levity. "Am I not allowed?"

In another show of something worryingly close to civility, Damian just grunts and falls onto the sofa. He's still in his workout clothes, after having spent the best part of four hours ceaselessly beating practice dummies to a pulp.

Dick sighs and says, "Come on, Baby Bird. Tell me where it hurts."

Damian glares at him. "If you really must know, Grayson, Marinette was telling me about the history of the Miraculous yesterday, including the Order of the Guardians. They were supposed to watch over the Miracle Box. Protect it."

"Aw, you're taking history lessons from her?"

"_And she told me about how it ended_." Damian's glare takes on a sharp, agitated edge. "About all of the people who tried to tear the Order apart, and guess what?"

"I - I don't -"

"The League of Assassins were amongst the number."

Dick's jaw drops. "I - You mean, Ra's al Ghul -"

"Wanted the Miraculous for himself? Yes, that's exactly what I mean. And you know what else? The sole remaining guardian thinks the man who destroyed his home was sent to do it, by someone from the outside."

There's silence in the apartment for a good minute, but Dick honestly doesn't know what he's supposed to say. Something like this could only happen to the kid, couldn't it?

"You're saying you think the League had a hand in the Order's fall." It's a statement, not a question. He knows what Damian is thinking just by looking at his face, or, hell, just watching him since he returned home the day previous, muttering to himself and glaring at everything in the vicinity, like he used to when he was still a volatile kid who hadn't been hugged enough.

"Of course I am, Grayson. What else would happen? They tried to take the Miraculous and failed, so they sent someone in to destroy the entire Order!"

Thinking he's found a fault, he says, "So if that's the case, why didn't Ra's al Ghul spend his final years prancing around in red and black polka dots?"

"Don't be droll," Damian says, levying at him a dry look. "The sole survivor of the temple's fall - Master Fu - took them before anyone else could. Otherwise the League would have had access to - to all the power they could _dream_ of." The idea makes Damian's mouth go dry. "Marinette needs to know the truth, doesn't she?"

Dick blinks, surprised. "I uh - I mean, I guess so. It's not like you're planning to run off with them yourself, but this is - this is _her_ history." He shakes his head. "It's your call, man. But I think you probably should say _something_, if you plan to keep her in your life."

He stares off into space, and just as Dick is beginning to think he won't get an answer, Damian says, "I have to tell her."


	10. i. The Need For A Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Damian Wayne, this is the Miraculous of the Cat..."

The Parisian ground swells and falls, like a bouncy castle deflating, losing its bounce. Her name is Picture Perfect, and as long as she brings down Ladybug, Hawkmoth is going to give her what she wants; revenge on the girls who made fun of her for her acne. They're out there somewhere, already Turned, but Picture Perfect isn't finished with them yet. Her other monsters should help, if only she could stay on her feet. She doesn't know how, but Ladybug and her band of heroes are making the ground itself _move_. She struggles against it until her heels cause her to stumble and fall. Viperion, experiencing no such trouble, prepares to strike -

But then one of Picture Perfect's monsters tackles something the rest of them can't see, and Fantasmo's carefully constructed fantasy falls to nothing as he breaks concentration to fight the monster off. The newest hero is still inexperienced, and it shows. The akuma realises that the ground is no longer moving - no, that it was never moving _at all_ \- and she lashes out at Viperion, who hasn't even the time to realise what's gone wrong before he's struck, Turned, out of the match.

"_God damn it!_" Queen Bee shrieks over the comms. Watching her partner stumble to his feet, now a grotesque monster, Ryuko expresses her own, more subdued discontent, but Ladybug can't worry about Viperion now; she needs to construct a new plan, one that doesn't factor in Second Chance's risk allowance.

"Are you okay, Fantasmo?"

"Y-Yes," he says, sounding shaken but not beaten. "I'm sorry, Ladybug."

"Don't be, just get ready to weave a new illusion. Change of plan..."

Picture Perfect has by now created a veritable hoard of monsters, all of them almost totally mindless. They share one thought: take down the Miraculous wielders. The size of the hoard is a concern.

"Queen Bee, how many monsters could you paralyze before detransforming, if you had to?"

"Hard to say," she grunts, and Marinette wonders just what she's doing to sound so out of breath. "I normally don't have entire crowds to worry about."

"Stab in the dark, then."

She blows out a breath. "Ten? Fifteen? I _really_ don't know, Ladybug."

"Okay, okay." She huffs. "Ryuko, you on standby?"

"Of course."

"Then be ready to move when I tell you to. Queen Bee, you as well. Fantasmo? Listen up."

* * *

For Damian, watching Fantasmo fight is a fascinating thing; the redhead has no skill and little training to speak of, but he has the kind of imagination that turns the power of illusion into something downright lethal. He gets knocked about a lot, yes, even jumped on a few times, but all he ever does is put his flute to his lips, play a few notes, and his attackers soon flee, screaming bloody murder at whatever horror he's conjured up. He's tricky, which fits because his suit rather makes him resemble an anthropomorphised fox.

Damian stands on the edge of the attack, as close as he can get without the hero named Ryuko snapping at him again to head to safety. He'd wandered quite a way from the main site of the attack when Picture Perfect started turning people into storybook monsters and now stands outside the shopping centre that Picture Perfect had first been akumatized in, when out of nowhere Ladybug zips inside on her yoyo, chased by the akuma herself, who throws a pink and green ball after the hero -

Which _explodes_ as it sails through one of the broken windows and brings half the building down. His eyes go wide as the akuma turns, spots Damian, and narrows hers. He darts for the building, whether it's collapsing or not. There's loose rubble all over and he slips but doesn't lose his footing - he knows he's being chased, and so catches a lamppost he passes and swings himself off course to buy himself a few seconds. This brings him to the back entrance of the building and he ducks inside.

Marinette is in here somewhere, he tells himself as he slams a heavy metal door in his pursuer's face, cutting off his own exit at the same time. He has a job to do. This building is coming down, and he has to find Marinette before it does.

* * *

Of course she would leap into the building seconds before the akuma tried to blow it up. This just seems to be the akumas' MO these days. She's lying on the ground and her head is pounding. She's somewhat disoriented and - _and struggling to breathe_. Alarm snaps her back to reality, and a sharp pain shooting up her left arm. Forcing her eyes open, Marinette assesses the situation.

She's trapped, yes, and beneath one of the exposed frames that holds the shopping centre up. It's heavy, but it shouldn't be too heavy for her to manage, with the Ladybug's strength -

She tries and the frame somehow presses down _heavier_. Her eyes water; any other time she _would_ be able to lift it off, but her arm is screaming with pain and there's no sensible way she can put any pressure on it without risking some sort of irreparable damage.

Then it's being lifted off by someone else, and breathing out fully for the first time in minutes, she looks around -

Her eyes widen. "_Damian!_ What are you _doing?"_

Without the enhanced strength of a Miraculous he's straining to hold the weight, but not as much as anyone else probably would. "_Move_," he grunts. "I can't hold it forever." She does, and when he lets the frame drop again it crashes to the concrete with a _painfully_ loud sound.

Her arm is throbbing. "What - What the hell are you doing here? You can't - You might get hurt!"

"You needed help," he says, like that explains everything. To him, it does. "Your arm - Is it bad?"

It is, actually, but she won't admit that. "You can't go running into the middle of an akuma fight without any protection!"

"There was no time for me to change into my Robin uniform," he says. "You needed help _immediately_, not in ten minutes. Besides, you said you didn't want anyone seeing Robin in Paris. How did it get broken?" He's looking at her arm again, frowning.

"Never mind _that_," she says, "we need to go. We're not safe here." She leads him away from the fighting, careful to dodge Picture Perfect's roaming, mindless monsters, all out for her blood. If they see her it's over - and more importantly, if they see _Damian_ he'll be torn apart. He has no magic suit to hold him together. Just a pair of tailored trousers and a too-expensive sweatshirt. That seems to send it home to her that he's walked into a war zone in nothing more than civilian fare. _Good lord_.

She's holding loosely onto his arm to stop him from moving, when she spots the door up ahead; it's badly propped open with a tube of metal to stop it from slamming shut. It looks entirely too innocuous to Marinette, but Damian seems to have no issue whatsoever in marching towards it.

“Stop! It might be a trap.”

“I doubt it,” he says, still trying to move forwards. “Traps tend to be enticing.”

She snags a stronger hold of his sweatshirt before he can take three steps, hissing, "Don't be so reckless! An akuma's war zone can be _riddled_ with unseen traps." He huffs but doesn't dare contradict her. Good for him.

They hurry along the next open corridor until they come to a window empty of its glass, which decorates the floor. Damian leaps through and Marinette is just in the middle of scolding him for his recklessness again as she follows - and they freeze.

A small crowd of monsters are in the alley with them, regarding the duo vaguely. No one moves. Time stands still.

Then the cluster come at them all of a sudden, and Ladybug and Damian snap into action, he working with sharp, aggressive attacks; elbows and knees, wristlocks and armlocks, while Ladybug is more fluid, weaving in and around the monsters' clumsy attacks. Her heart is in her mouth the entire time and as soon as it's clear again, she turns to Damian and scans him over for injury.

There is none, but she still says, "I think there's something we need to talk about."

Damian seems to stiffen and she wonders whether he was hurt after all. "We should go. I think one of your friends needs help." She frowns and strains her ears. Indeed, she can hear fairly distinct screaming coming from the city centre.

"Queen Bee," she mutters. "Right. Lets go. I mean - You should hide!"

"You need help -"

"And _you_ need a suit," she snaps. "I won't see you get hurt, Damian. Thank you for helping me, now let me repay the favour. Get yourself somewhere safe, and stay there until this akuma's down." Behind them, half of the shopping centre - the half they had just been running through - collapses in on itself and makes her mouth go dry. With Viperion gone, there would have been no hope of a second chance.

Damian seems to be thinking the same thing; he's gone very pale, and it's not just brick dust. "I won't see you get hurt either, Marinette," he says, and there's an out-of-place sadness in his voice that gives her pause. He swallows, and looks at her like he's trying to drink her in, commit every inch of detail to memory. "Alright, fine. I'll stay out of your way, but you'd _better_ come back to me, habibti, or I'll be very upset."

Her head is racing too fast for any nickname to register, and she barely stops to press a kiss to his cheek before she's zipping off in search of her team, to see Picture Perfect put down once and for all.

Damian watches her go and wonders to himself when he started thinking of her as his beloved.

* * *

Two hours and one restored city later, Marinette is building up to one of the most tense moments of her life. She knows what she's going to do at lunch, when she meets with Damian. She's going to ask him. She will, she swears it, but to climb that mountain, she first must deal with the mole hill. There's only ten minutes before she has to be off, so re-transforming, she seeks out her first target.

"Alya Cesaire," she says, and despite all that has happened between them, she hates to see her old friend look so sad. They're at the same park she had given Nathaniel the Fox in. The same park she had once given _Alya_ the Fox in. The detail is not lost on either of them. "I need to talk to you."

"About what? You already gave the Fox to someone else."

Wincing, she says, "I know. I'm sorry that I didn't warn you beforehand. I -"

"You're _sorry?_ That's it?"

"That is _not it_," she says, feeling remarkably terse. "I'm sorry I rehomed the Fox without telling you, but that's not why I'm here. I need your help."

Alya huffs, and her breath puffs out in a small cloud of frost. "With what?"

"I need you to revive the Ladyblog for something. An exclusive story." Something old and familiar sparks in Alya's eyes then. "You see, there's going to be a new Black Cat in town..."

* * *

"What do you think, Adrien? Is there anything that _you_ think would help you to feel better?"

That's the question his therapist, Dr Paul Blanchard, posed to him two hours ago. They were sat in his office, far away from the akuma attack, but the sounds of destruction still reached them. Reached _him_. The noise alone made him nearly sick and Dr Blanchard promised that they would have sound proofing installed before their next session, for all the good it will do.

Adrien swallows. Hawkmoth got someone else. Picture Perfect, this one called herself. Underage, so no private information could be released. Some poor, unfortunate soul whose only crime was to be having a bad day. "Is there anything that _you_ think would help you to feel better?" At the time, when Dr Blanchard asked that question, the answer was no. Sat in his bedroom, tinkering absently with his piano, an idea strikes him all of a sudden. _Something that would make him feel better..._

Catching Hawkmoth would make him feel better. It would make him feel _a lot_ better.

The source of all this pain - all of _Adrien's_ pain - is Hawkmoth.

He shoots to his feet so suddenly that the piano stool goes toppling to the floor, but he doesn't care. He knows what he has to do now. Throwing open his bedroom door, he leaves the room and flies down the stairs -

And almost runs smack into Lila Rossi, stood at the bottom. He pulls himself up short, eyes wide. Lila mirrors his shock for half a second before she breaks into a beaming, dazzling smile.

"Adrien! I was just coming up to see you! How are you?"

"I - How did you get in here?"

"I allowed her inside, Adrien." It's Nathalie, and she's coming up to them, frowning in a concerned manner. "Miss Rossi told me you were expecting her..."

"Yes, I -"

"No." Adrien's voice is hard. "I'm sorry, Nathalie, but I'm not expecting anyone."

"Oh." Nathalie looks at Lila, who is shifting nervously, eyes flicking about in their sockets like she's trying to think of a lie but just can't do it fast enough. "Well then I'll have to ask you to leave, Miss Rossi." Her tone brokers no argument, though Lila looks like to do so.

She turns to Adrien and hisses, "_Everyone_ has left me."

He stares at her for a moment, then says, "I missed the part where that's my problem." She scoffs, and looks between he and Nathalie before she gives in and speed walks towards the door, her fists clenched at her sides.

They watch her go, head bowed in what Adrien is certain is anger covered up as false shame, before Nathalie looks back to him. "I'm sorry about that, Adrien. I won't let it happen again."

If only you let my real friends in so easily, he thinks, then says, "It's okay, Nathalie. I'm going out for a while though, if that's okay. Just to the library. Gorilla will drive me." She must be feeling particularly sorry for him today, because she acquiesces with no argument, and like that's he's on his way. His investigations can begin.

Adrien knows what will help now. It's the _only_ thing that will help.

Hawkmoth is going down.

* * *

In a restaurant called Pink Mamma, Marinette and Damian sit across from one another, squabbling over a menu.

“I told you this place is expensive!” she says. “Any place where you have to book for _lunch _is expensive!”

“_Late_ lunch. And I don’t mind,” he says, glancing up at her from his perusal of the food menu. “Unless _you_ do, Marinette. I thought you might enjoy going out, after...” He trails off, knuckles going bloodless as he grips the menu tighter.

“No, I - I don’t mind,” Marinette says, sipping from her rose water before brightening up. “So, Fantasmo is interesting, isn’t he?” He glances up at her again and hums. Funny. She had thought he would find something to say about a new wielder.

The third and final Miracle Box sits heavy in her pocket, and a new kind of doubt settles in her mind. Does Damian no longer want to become a wielder? Her mouth goes dry. If he doesn't then she's stuck, because she can't imagine having anyone else by her side now.

"S-So Fantasmo, he's wielding the Fox, which means he uses illusion. You might have noticed that it manifested _differently_ for him than it did for Rena Rouge." He smiles at her, but looks a million miles away. Not wanting to beat around the bush, she purses her lips and asks, "Is something wrong?" When he starts to look panicked, her question is answered.

"Marinette, I - There's something you should know. About me."

"So tell me."

"Not here." He looks around Pink Mamma. "Too many people. Lets eat, then we can take a walk."

"We can take a walk now," she says, her head beginning to feel like it's filled with TV static.

She's already halfway out of her seat, but he catches her hand and says, "You haven't eaten yet, Marinette. You must be hungry."

"_Damian._"

"_I'll tell you_, Marinette, I swear it. But first - first we both need to eat." He opens his menu again and she sucks in a long, steadying breath. "What looks good to you, Marinette?"

"Why do you keep saying my name?"

It takes him a moment to meet her eyes. "Because I _want_ to say it, as many times as I can. While I still can. _Marinette_." She smiles faintly, bemusedly, and her heart begins to strain. He's behaving like one of them is dying.

Admittedly, the lunch is very good and she's secretly glad she agreed to wait at least that long as they stroll along the Seine. In the setting sun, the sky is a soft candy orange but it reflects on the water's surface like gold. Marinette barely notices. They come to stand in as private a place as they can find; a lonely, small footbridge away from the rest of the city, and her fingers close again around the box containing the Cat Miraculous.

Once he's said whatever he has to say, she'll pop the question, no going back. That's it. Decided.

Damian takes another moment to himself before he starts speaking. “I’ve never told you about my grandfather, Marinette. Or my mother, for that matter.”

She blinks at him. “Well... I guess you haven’t, no.”

“And you’ve never wondered why?”

Dread spools into her stomach. “What does that mean, Damian?”

It takes him a second to answer. “My grandfather’s name was Ra’s al Ghul. He died a few years ago. Murdered.”

She gasps. “Oh, I’m so _sorry_ -”

“Don’t be. Ra’s al Ghul means ‘the head of the demon’, and when he died he was seven hundred years old.”

Marinette blinks. “I - He - _He was how old?_”

“He used Lazarus Pits to keep himself alive. They are capable of healing any injury, even returning one from death, if said death occurred recently. Seven years ago, a man called Slade came into our home and hurt him so badly, not even the Pit could save him. Slade was taking revenge for having been denied something he thought my grandfather owed him. He wanted to be grandfather’s heir, to inherit something.”

“What?” Marinette breathes, eyes blown wide and fearful. The sight makes his heart and jaw clench at the same time, but he makes himself go on.

“Grandfather ruled an ancient organisation,” he says. “They call themselves the League of Assassins.”

* * *

Even the heating roaring at full blast in the newly refurbished Miraculous headquarters doesn't rid the chill pervading her body. After all of that build up, all the uncertainty, she feels worse off than when she started. Curled up in a defensive huddle on one of Chloe's new, over the top sofas, Marinette hugs her knees. Damian is the heir of the people who destroyed the Order of the Miraculous. What will Master Fu say?

"So, what? Your personal dreamboat comes from a family of psychos."

"Queen Bee," Ryuko says disapprovingly.

"What?" she asks. "The guy she wants to make the new Cat wielder is related to the old fuck who blew our temple up!"

"Not just related," Marinette says heavily. "He was his _grandfather_."

"So you want our opinions?" Viperion asks, mercifully shutting up Queen Bee.

"We're a team," she says. "You'd be working with him, relying on him sometimes. Trusting him to help us out. I would have needed to know if you'd be okay with that before I found out... what I did." And it's true. This meeting had always been on the agenda. She just hadn't imagined it would go down quite like this. In her head it had been a lot cuter.

"This kid, he can't be blamed for where he came from, or who he's related to," Viperion says, and _thank Tikki_ someone at this damn meeting is telling her what she wants to hear. "What matters, in my opinion, is that _before_ you found out about this League of Assassins thing, you were ready to bring him into the fold. You trusted him then. Do you still trust him now?"

"Yes," she mutters.

"You say 'League of _Assassins_' like it's no big deal," Queen Bee says, leveling a steely-eyed look at Viperion, who sighs. "And if his family, these _assassins_, manage to find out," she continues coldly, "then what? Will they come after the Miraculous again? The last time they did, _everything_ was almost wiped out."

"Oh, _come on_ -"

"She isn't wrong, it _is_ a risk," Ryuko says to her partner, then adding, "But if Ladybug trusts him, the benefit of the doubt may be the best approach."

"If this League does come after us," Fantasmo says hesitantly, from where he is perched alone on one of the brown armchairs, "how can we be sure that your new Chosen doesn't... _you know_."

"_Thank you_." Queen Bee sighs and crosses her arms, so discomforted she's almost buzzing.

Viperion, though, looks appalled. "It seems pretty clear to me that if he told Ladybug the truth when he didn't even want to, and didn't have to, that he doesn't like these people. If LB trusts him, I do too." He says it with such finality that Fantasmo goes as red as his hair and sinks into the sofa, rubbing his brown-gloved hands together nervously.

It's a relief to have someone behind her so stolidly, but the others have given voice to all of her worst fears. She does trust Damian, but this League are completely unknown to her. "_I just want to say it, as many times as I can. While I still can._"

"Lets say I give him the Miraculous," she says, interrupting the squabble that has sprung up between her friends. "Lets say I do it tonight. Would you all support me?" Viperion's answer is instantaneous and Fantasmo echoes it, though with less certainty. One brown-booted foot scuffs at the floor, squeaking on Chloe's brand new tiles.

"I trust you implicitly, Ladybug," Ryuko says. "That means I stand by you, so yes. You have my blessing."

Queen Bee is last, looking ready to bite someone's head off, which is just her own way of expressing herself. "You gave me a second chance," she says grudgingly. "I guess I owe you this much."

"Okay, you guys, thank you for all your help." She gets to her feet and looks around at her team. "I know what I'm doing now."

* * *

The Justice League are hounding him for a progress report from Paris. Bruce tells Superman, _for the nth time_, that if he should be contacting anyone about this it's _Nightwing_, but it won't do him any good. Still, he has to try, if only to lend Alfred some peace of mind and shut Jason and Tim up for five minutes. Seriously, something's wrong with those two. More so than usual.

As it is, the situation in Paris remains irritatingly stagnant. As far as he knows, as far as Dick has told him, nothing of use is happening there whatsoever.

"We're just always waiting for Hawkmoth to make a move," he had said last night. "We haven't even seen a _hint_ of Mayura yet. Marinette's not happy about you outing her to me, by the way."

"I don't care that she's happy, I care that she has someone looking out for her," he had said. "Any updates around _that?"_

There hadn't been. Marinette was willing to allow help with her nighttime patrols, but Nightwing and Robin had yet to come into contact with any of the other heroes, and were under strict orders from the leading lady not to be seen by _anybody_, which restricted their movements further still. Apparently the hero named Queen Bee was officially protesting international interference, but how she planned to do this was as of yet unclear.

"Bruce! My man! How's Marinette?"

He closes his eyes and sighs, long and deep. A moment later, Jason saunters into the Batcave, Tim hot on his heels. At this point it would be easier if he just bought the idiots two plane tickets to Paris and sent them packing, but he won't. Yet.

For the second time that day, he says, "Ask _Nightwing_, not me."

"We're just worried, that's all," Tim says. The hand holding his coffee is shaking slightly, and Bruce eyes it with suspicion. He wouldn't put it past Jason to have slipped something into Tim's drink, to ease his compliance somewhat, because their recent antics have been completely ridiculous. "I mean, like the girl hasn't suffered enough! There's a madman loose in her city, and now Dick and Damian are there too."

Bruce hums. "And how goes your... investigation?" He makes sure to sound particularly disdainful, trying again to convince them that their search for Ladybug is fruitless.

It has no effect. "Ah, we're getting closer every day!" Jason says, balancing (hardly) on the arm of Bruce's chair; a vein in his forehead begins to twitch. "We have reason to believe she lives in Paris."

"You _must_ be joking." They're _supposed_ to be detectives, aren't they? Like, _proper_ detectives? And he's sorry, he _wants_ to keep Marinette's identity a secret from them, but _surely_ they've got something more concrete than that after all this time.

"Not at all," Tim says, coming to stand on his other side. "She's a young woman - possibly only college age, if you can believe it - and we think she used to attend Francois-Dupont High School."

"Where Marinette goes now," Jason says. "All the signs point to it. The attacks were centered there in the beginning, and Ladybug always arrived promptly, but in the last few years, they've spread out across the city." Bruce stays silent, because they're closer to the truth than he would like. After a few seconds of no response, Jason changes the subject. "So, how's the Demon Brat doing?"

"You can't ask him that yourself?" Bruce asks, concentrating on the screen and hoping they go away.

"No, he refuses to answer his phone or text me back. Like a child."

"Maybe that's because when he told you about his last date with Marinette, you replied with an eggplant emoji," Tim says, and Bruce shoots Jason a dark look. Jason, laughing, doesn't notice.

When the phone rings, he's only too happy to answer, and the boys rightly take it as a dismissal, muttering to each other all the way out of the Cave. "Hello? No, he's in Paris..."

* * *

Marinette has Damian meet her on the roof of a hotel in the 7th Arrondissement, with no doubt in mind that he'll be there waiting when she arrives. Lo and behold, he is. He's stood watching the Eiffel Tower, just in front of them, glittering gold and blinding against the black of night, but when she lands he turns to face her.

"Ma- Ladybug." His greeting is stiff and overly formal, a show of nerves on his part, so she smiles to put him at ease. Normally, she might try to make a joke, to tease him. Just say something, _anything_ to diffuse the tension, but this is serious. She restrains herself, clears her throat, and with the box in her hand, puts his fears to rest.

"Damian Wayne, this is the Miraculous of the Cat. In trusting you with it, and with the power it contains, you agree to stand at my side, always. To face with me the villains of Paris and all of the darkness which they bring. You are the shield which guards the people of this world from anything that would seek to harm them. A watcher in the shadows, the sword which defends all who cannot defend themselves." His eyes are hard and determined as she asks the all-important question. "_Can I trust you?” _

The box sits on the palm of her hand, and Damian doesn't reply. The wind dies away and even the night air bites into her less. As though all the world hangs in a limbo dependent upon his answer, it becomes muted. Marinette and Damian. They are all. His eyes bore into hers, forest green to glistening blue. He breathes out; his breath dances across the air between them, and in the blink of an eye he snatches the box up, takes it in his own hands, and she feels her soul lift as time resumes.

“You already know the drill,” she says, then turns, runs, and leaps nimbly from the rooftop, vanishing into the night lest she become overwhelmed with the enormity of what she's just done. Damian looks to the Eiffel Tower, glowing in the near distance to his right, and his fingers clench around the small wooden box in the palm of his hand.

* * *

_Ladybug drops into the Miraculous hideout, where her assembled heroes await the news, and she tells them that it's done. They have a new Black Cat. The wave of tension waiting to break over the room finally does. It spills across the glossy, revamped space and leaves some of them laughing, some clapping. She leaves them to their talk, their whispered mutterings and speculations, and instead heads over to the centre of the room, where the new focus of her attention lies. Over the next hour the hideout will empty, all bar Ladybug, who works early into the morning. There is no more time to waste._

_Damian opens the box only when he's sure Dick is asleep and he's in privacy of his room, the smell and chill of the night still clinging to his clothes, and he watches as Plagg materialises. The kwami observes him solemnly for a moment and then asks him if he's ready; they have a lot of work to do. He nods, and says the words he knows will bring forth the transformation._

_That night in Paris, people report sightings of a figure dressed in black, who slinks through the shadows like a ghost. He is there but not there, watching always but hardly seen, only in the fleeting moments when it's unavoidable, when the figure crosses the gaps between buildings like they aren't even there. They wonder who he is and try to get a better look, but they fail. They all do. The figure isn't there to be seen, he is assessing his new dominion. Plotting out the city, committing it to memory. As Plagg said, there is work to be done._

_Also out of sight of anyone still roaming the Parisian streets so late at night stands a woman, and she stands alone. No one knows her purpose but she herself. Bathed in the golden light of street lamps, she also sees the figure, and she smiles to herself. She breaths in the sharp night air._

_An old score is ready to be settled._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fantasmo is derived from the French for phantasmagoria, "fantasmagorie". (Phantasmagoria is a "shifting series of phantasms or illusions created by the imagination".)


	11. ii. Monday Night's Alright (For Fighting)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lynx Maleun is black, green and gold to Ladybug's black, red and silver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every chapter in Arc Two shares its name with either a rock song, or a line from a rock song. Today's song is Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting) by Elton John.
> 
> Can you believe what they did to my girl Chloe in Love Eater? Disgusting. Stan fanfiction for the Authentic Chloe Bourgeois Experience.

Lynx Maleun is black, green and gold to Ladybug's black, red and silver.

His suit is hooded, two tones of black and lined with emerald green on the inside, a shade curiously close to the colour of his eyes, glaring out at him through the mask. If Captain Paris couldn't already tell that the new Cat takes himself more seriously than the last, then the absence of tail, ears and bell would tip him off. He wears no cape but is instead enclosed by a sort of long coat that reaches just past his knees, also lined in green, the arms interspersed with resplendent golden bands. It's held together by a belt decorated with more gold still. The only outlier here are his boots, ending just below the knee and hard-wearing, tough.

Yes, Lynx Maleun clearly thinks rather a lot of himself, but the practicality that underlies his boastful suit makes Captain Paris think that he has the bark to match the bite. The two assess each other, but the Captain moves before the Cat can.

* * *

It turns out that not all akumas present Paris-ending level threats. That doesn't make this any less inconvenient though. It's three o'clock in the morning, Damian had only been asleep for two hours when Plagg woke him up (slapping him around the face with minuscule paws that had minuscule _claws_) and he'll need to be awake again by seven o'clock at the latest.

The man across from him has declared himself _Captain Paris_, a towering figure draped in a flowing tri-colour cloak, suit of obnoxious blue stamped with an outline of the Eiffel Tower. His _hair_ is tri-colour, his glasses seem to be the same ones Jagged Stone is famous for wearing. Captain Paris looks like a parody of himself.

He's out for revenge on behalf of a certain city (guess which one) whose streets have been mercilessly under siege for the last few years. That he is _helping_ the man responsible for this destruction seems not to occur to Captain Paris, which only makes Damian's mood worsen. He's getting _sneered at_ by a shoddy supervillain in the dead of night, from across the warehouse rafters upon which they both balance. It's a long way down, he notes; the akuma won't want to fall.

Captain Paris goes in all of a sudden and straight for the kill, it would seem. Lynx Maleun deflects his blade; blocks, parries, moves. His baton hits against some kind of invisible armour each time it strikes against the akuma's suit. He'll have to think of something else. Dodging back to a safe distance as Captain Paris wobbles and stops to steady himself, he takes in the battlefield and soon spots a chain hanging low, not far away. Damian thinks he could make good use of it.

The akuma has hidden his akumatized object, whatever it is, somewhere in the warehouse. He knows that much, but for obvious reasons the man won't tell him where it is. He'll just have to find a way to make him talk. Damian looks at the chain again, and has an idea.

He leaps across from one beam to another and grabs the chain as he passes it, then using the element of surprise manages to leave the akuma tied and hanging with it. He roars and struggles, but Damian has him caught tight.

He raises his ring hand and calls, "_Cataclysm!"_

“You think you have the upper hand,” Captain Paris sneers, “because you’re a new hero, but let me tell you, Lynx Maleun, we _all_ know how the Cat’s power works. You can’t use it here.” Not in such a precarious position, he means.

But the akuma doesn’t know as much as he thinks he does. “A Miraculous’ power often manifests itself in different ways, wielder to wielder,” he says, moving slowly towards the trussed up villain. He has one hand raised, that oozes dark magic; decay. “For instance, if I were to trail my fingers slowly, _lightly_, along the chains holding you up,” he says as he does just so, “the rot would take its time to set in. It would spread slowly.” And it does. “Giving you just long enough to tell me the truth, and for me to save you before the whole set up collapses, taking you with it.”

The villain is shaken but not broken. He watches the chain keeping him alive slowly rust, begin to creak and flake, and he breaks out in a sweat but he doesn’t talk.

"Tell me where you hid it."

"Go to hell." The chains start to screech and the akuma shifts in his bonds. "Hawkmoth would never forgive me if I told you."

"_I'll_ never forgive you if you don't and believe me, my wrath is worse."

The chains are groaning and creaking and the akuma looks, for a second, terrified - Until all of a sudden he doesn't. He grins wide and victorious, flexes his muscles and breaks out of the trap, swinging for solid ground. Damian grits his teeth and jumps down to meet him, crouching low, prepared to strike.

"Very nice Lynx Maleun," he snarls, "but not quite good enough to stop me."

He narrows his eyes. "Is that so?" They begin a deadly dance of evasion, dodging each others' attacks and throwing ones out of their own. The akuma's gift is his swiftness and he uses it to stay well out of Damian's way. He begins to envy Ladybug's talent for improvisation as he chases the akuma higher and higher, to the roof of the warehouse. The wind howls and bites, but doesn't touch either of the combatants.

"You should have known, Lynx Maleun, that you can't enter the game this late and expect to win it!"

"And _you_ should have paid better attention to what I was saying," he shouts back over the wind. Again he raises his ring hand and for the second time calls, "_Cataclysm!"_

Dark energy gathers and without pause or warning he punches down onto the roof with all the strength and force of a truck, and decay consumes the surface faster than either the akuma or Lynx Maleun can blink. It caves in and crumbles to nothing, and they're falling through stale air, down, down -

Something red zooms past his periphery and he braces himself for the impact of cold, solid concrete. It never comes.

He's caught before he can hit the ground and he opens his eyes to Ladybug, leveling at him a hard look. She's finally arrived.

"That was reckless," she says. "What if one of you had been badly hurt?"

Damian doesn't answer. He cranes his neck around (head still swimming) and sees the akuma groaning on the floor. _She had saved the akuma first_.

"You're the one who decided to rip the roof apart," she says to his accusatory look, adding, "Remember, he's a victim," under her breath. Straightening up, she sends to the akuma a quelling look. Like a scolded child the akuma looks down, and Damian _cannot_ believe what he's seeing."

"Where have you hidden your akumatized object?" she asks sternly.

"I'm not telling," the previously oh-so-cocky Captain mutters. Again, _Damian cannot believe what he's seeing._

"You'd better," Ladybug says, hands on her hips. "You're Mr Augustin, aren't you? Your daughter will be wondering where you are, and you have work in the morning. You don't want to be overtired."

Captain Paris shifts in place and begins to perspire again, but this is a different sort of strain. Marinette has told him that Hawkmoth can communicate with his victims, so when the purple outline surrounds his eyes, Damian is well aware of what's happening.

"No, no - I - I will - _Hawkmoth_."

"Mr Augustin," Marinette says, crouching before him, "think about all the things that are good."

"He's angry about what's happened to Paris," Damian tells her quietly. "That's why he was akumatized."

"This city is _abused_," Captain Paris cries. "All of its history - and _no one cares_ \- because Hawkmoth has _destroyed_ it."

"He has, so don't fuel his desires by helping him," Marinette says. "_Tell me where you hid your object._"

"Ngh." He's grunting, struggling almost violently now, panting from the effort to resist Hawkmoth's control. Damian has himself positioned to Marinette's immediate right, ready to strike if the Captain should - which he looks increasingly like to do. "It isn't - It's not just _him_." He lunges forwards out of nowhere and Damian strikes his baton to the concrete before he can reach Marinette, who has leapt back. She steadies Damian with a raised hand, watching Captain Paris writhe on the floor. Once he's settled she approaches again.

"Think of the good things," she urges. "Tell me where your object is."

Captain Paris pants and curls in on himself, cries out again, but manages to say, "_The rebars._" Marinette rushes over look while Damian guards the akuma, and sure enough, a glowing miniature of the Arch de Triumph is tucked well behind the stack at the back of the warehouse. She smiles, satisfied, and crushes it beneath her boot. A purple butterfly emerges, is caught, and released with a cry of "_Miraculous Ladybug!"_

A flurry of ladybugs consumes the warehouse and once it's cleared, Damian glances up; the roof he destroyed has been perfectly restored. He looks back at Marinette and tries not to gape, but it's a near thing. She will never stop amazing him.

A perfectly ordinary-looking man remains where Captain Paris had once been, and Damian is inclined to help him to his feet until the man's eyes land on Marinette and narrow.

"If you would only catch that monster," he manages to say through a raw throat, "_none_ of this would still be happening." Marinette freezes where she stands and any sympathy that might have built in Damian vanishes.

He glares the man into submission. "You might try for a little _gratitude_. Ladybug just _saved_ you. I -"

"It's okay, Lynx Maleun." Marinette sounds far too resigned for his liking, like she's disappointed but not surprised. "Lets just see Mr Augustin on his way, and we can both go home."

"_No_." He will not stand for her being spoken to like this. "Were it not for Ladybug, Hawkmoth would have had total control of your precious city _years ago._ I will not stand by and listen to you _disrespect her_." He's so angry he's almost raging, and the only thing that holds him at bay is Marinette's hand on his arm. She's upset though, and that only makes him angrier. "I'd like to see you try doing what Ladybug does for even a single day." He's pointing at the man with his baton. "You're the lowest of the low, but we're not -"

"_No!_" Mr Augustin cries, quivering. "No, please, don't hurt me!"

Damian snorts, disgusted. “Had you let me _finish_,” he says tersely, “you would have heard me say ‘we’re not going to hurt you’. Moron.”

“I wouldn’t have let him call you a moron,” Marinette says, but Damian notices that she doesn't seem to annoyed with him for it. The man on the floor whimpers. "Now come on, get up! There's a police escort here with a medic, ready to see you home."

With Mr Augustin well on his way, Damian turns to Marinette. "I can't believe the _nerve_ of that man," he says disbelievingly.

She regards him steadily. "You'll get there. You just need practice."

He huffs, glaring at the police cruiser, disappearing into the darkness. "Practice in what, exactly?"

She pauses to consider before she answers. "In understanding," she says.

* * *

_ **New Miraculous Wielder Hits The Streets As Chat Noir Hangs Up His Baton!** _

Alya's newest journalistic endeavour should turn a few heads, Marinette thinks. A little too gleeful in her discussion (read: speculation) about why Chat Noir quit - like she's forgetting that the man himself is out there and might see this - but she's injected enough hype into the article that, along with his mysterious appearances around the city on the night he was given his Miraculous, the public's excitement for the new hero has reached critical mass. It's almost like they're _hoping_ for another attack, just so long as they get a proper look at the new Cat for themselves.

Marinette scrolls through the article a few times from where she's sat at the back of Ms Bustier's classroom - alone. Since their brush with the Joker, Nino has been sticking to Adrien like a child to a lollipop and she's noticed that Kim has been going out of his way to slap Adrien on the back and call him champ recently. This makes Marinette smile, as does the curiously absent seat next to Lila; since the drama in Gotham, people have been pulling away from her. That includes Alya, supposed to be her seat mate, who is stood talking to Rose and Juleka like she's stalling for time before she has to sit down.

"I can't believe we're getting a new Chat Noir!" Rose squeals. Marinette looks quickly to Adrien, but he and Nino are wrapped up in some quiet discussion, and don't notice anything. "I wonder what he's like..."

"I wonder if he's _cute_," Sabrina adds, spinning in her seat to join in. From across the classroom, Marinette and Chloe lock eyes. Chloe raises an eyebrow; Marinette blushes and looks away.

"But a new Chat Noir!" Rose says. "It's so -"

"Lynx Maleun," Juleka says. "That's what he's calling himself, apparently."

"Oh! Like a bobcat! I love bobcats!" Rose says. "But what does 'maleun' mean?"

"It's Arabic for cursed," Alix says. "Looks like the new Cat has self-esteem issues."

Ivan looks confused. "His name is Cursed Bobcat?"

"He probably wouldn't like you calling him that," Marinette can't help but say. When they all turn to look at her, she adds, "I - I just mean - I mean he's a hero, right? He'd probably find it disrespectful or something..." He'd be absolutely spitting feathers if he heard Ivan call him _Cursed Bobcat_.

Alya is now staring at her imploringly, but Marinette refuses to meet her gaze and instead turns to her phone. Just because Ladybug needed your help, she thinks, doesn't mean I've forgiven you.

The classroom door opens then and she hastily puts her phone away, thinking it's Ms Bustier (who is now, by the way, under investigation thanks to Commissioner Gordon). It isn't, though. It's -

"_Damian?"_ He's grumpy and fed up and looks generally unhappy to be here, but he undeniably _is_. What the... "What are you doing here?"

His eyes lock onto her and without pause, ignoring everyone else in the room (which will likely be the standard, so they'd better get used to it), he says, "Good morning, habibti. Sleep well?" He makes his way up the stairs to her desk and sits down beside her, adding in a low tone, "Grayson forced me to come. Missing out on my education, he said. _Pah!"_ The class full of eavesdroppers jump at the exclamation and hurriedly start pretending not to listen. "But seeing as you're here, I honestly didn't protest too much." He shoots her a smile meant just for her and then turns to begin unpacking his things.

Everyone is so busy staring at them that they all miss the tiny black kwami zip out of Damian's bag and zoom over to Adrien. The blond gives a strained smile and cups his old friend in his hand, where he'll stay for the rest of the morning.

Marinette sees Lila gathering herself to do something, and she tenses. Then the girl stands, flaunts her way over to their table, and says, in her most saccharine tone, "Damian, I know you've been... _confused_ since arriving in Paris. Now that you're officially a part of Francois-Dupont's class, I'd like to take the opportunity as _class president_ to say that anything you need, _I am here for you."_ She shoots at Marinette a subtle smirk but she has to say, for once, it doesn't bother her._ Damian doesn't look very pleased_.

He sighs, looks at Lila like she's something on the bottom of his shoe, and stands. "Miss Rossi, it's very difficult for me to put into words exactly how I feel about you." Smiling, Lila nods with encouragement. "I'll do my best though, in the only way I know how; through the art of the haiku." Marinette is the most tense anyone has ever been before. The class look like they're about to watch an MMA fight. He clears his throat, and says, "My heart swells in pain. When I see you, I vomit. Die, away from me.”

Silence punches through the room like an earthquake. It's broken, finally, by Chloe and Alix cackling in tandem, then Kim joining in with his own boisterous guffaws. Max's nervous laughter joins in, and then Nino's and then the entire class is in uproar. Adrien catches Marinette's eye and he grins weakly; she returns it, feeling about as faint. Damian sits down, ignoring the ruckus he's caused entirely, and opens one of his textbooks. When Ms Bustier arrives five minutes later, it's to a classroom in absolute chaos, and she has to shout over them for a good minute to get them to finally shut up.

"That's enough!" she exclaims, hands on her hips. "_What on Earth_ has possessed you all? Silence, _now_, and I mean it!" Her tongue has grown sharper since Gotham, and the start of Commissioner Gordon's investigation, and everyone reluctantly obeys.

"What does habibti mean?" Rose hisses into the ensuing quiet.

"Beloved," Alix hisses back, a smirk in her voice. When the pixie-haired blonde starts squealing Damian shoots at the tomboy a black look, whereas Marinette can't help but smile.

Lila looks absolutely _livid_.

* * *

The apartment is remarkably quiet without Damian in it, and Dick thinks that sending him off to school is the best idea he's had in years. He stretches out on the sofa as he looks over his embarrassingly scant notes on the Hawkmoth case without fear of being scolded for "lazing about". Damian has no right to be scolding him at the moment though; he's taken up a brand new hero's mantel with no prior warning. Not that Dick ignored this.

"So, Lynx Maleun," he had said that morning as a visibly tired Damian got ready for school. "What a dumbass." He had to force himself not to smirk as Damian stiffened and turned slowly to face him.

"_Excuse me?"_

"The new Cat. Wonder who Marinette chose in the end."

He took a long, suspicious pause before answering. "Right."

"I mean, what a dumb name. And have you _seen_ his suit?"

"This coming from the man who dressed like a _blind disco dancer_ in the Eighties," Damian bit back, before stilling as recognition lit in his eyes. "I see. Do you have a problem with my being the new Cat?"

"None, other than you didn't tell me."

"If you couldn't guess what my plans were from the start, that's not _my fault_."

God, what a tiring little brat he could be. But it's not Dick's fault that the kid's so easy to provoke. Or that he's so much fun to provoke. He smirks, feeling perhaps just a bit too pleased with himself, when a video call comes through and wipes it off his face.

It's Tim. He answers, regretting it before the call connects.

"Dick! Hey! Where's the brat?"

"I made him go to school," he says, trying and failing not to smile.

"You did _what?"_ Tim asks. "_Ha!_ That's hilarious. So now that you're free to talk..."

"_Yes?"_

"You know who Ladybug is." It's a statement, not a question, and Dick can't refute it. "Bruce knows. Alfred knows. All of you are keeping it from Jason and I."

He sees no point in lying. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Because the fewer people who know, the better."

"And that extends to the two of us?"

"For... now," he says carefully.

"Until when? Because I've gotta be honest, Dick, I've got a really bad feeling about this."

"A bad feeling about _what?"_ he asks, sharper than intended.

He doesn't answer immediately; he takes his time to consider. "We think something's coming," he says eventually, "and Ladybug's going to need all the help she can get."

* * *

“You told me we were going to train,” Damian had groused on the way over.

“This _is _a part of your training,” Marinette insisted, leading him into a non-descript apartment block. “An important part of your duty as Lynx Maleun.” Damian still didn’t know what was going on, but he followed her without complaint.

Now he understands.

Her hair had shone white, the rumours said. Her eyes blazed like two small suns in their sockets. The woman Damian is looking at now has none of these attributes, but it's her all the same.

Elise Bisset smiles at them - a small smile, but a smile nonetheless, and Damian loses his breath.

“Ladybug,” she greets. “I can’t say I expected to see you tonight. Who’s your friend?” She turns her smile on Damian, but he still can’t breathe. This is her. _He’s looking at Mourning Star_.

“I’d like to introduce you to Lynx Maleun,” Marinette says, beaming. “He’s our newest hero.” Damian would _like _to speak. To say hello to the woman smiling at him. He can’t. He’s lost his voice. "How've you been recently, Elise?" she asks as the woman stands aside to allow them entrance. Damian trails in behind Marinette, dazed beyond words.

"I take every day as it comes," she says carefully, closing the door behind them. "Louis is very supportive, of course. Oh, and please tell Ryuko that the pastries she brought over last month were lovely. She is... a very sweet girl."

"She is, and I will!" Marinette says, taking a seat on the sofa like she's done this before. That's when it hits him - _that she has_. "Viperion said you told him you've been trying for another child. Congratulations!"

Elise gestures for Damian to sit as she does herself. He does, his movements slow, like his body is filled with syrup rather than blood. "Well, Louis and I have been discussing it," she says. "We think we might be... getting there." She tucks a stray curl behind her ear, then gasps. "Oh! Oh, Ladybug, Lynx Maleun. I haven't even offered you a drink. I'm sorry."

She's halfway to her feet when Marinette rushes to say, "_That's fine!_ I'll -"

"I'll get it." Damian shoots to his feet before she can. "What would you like? Coffee? Tea?" He's never felt so restless, all of a sudden.

Elise blinks. "Uh, tea, thank you, young man. I'll just show you where everything is..."

"There's no need for you to trouble yourself," Marinette says. "I know, I'll help him." She leads Damian to the apartment's kitchenette, eyeing him approvingly.

"Well done," she says quietly. "You're doing well."

He doesn't reply. The kettle boils quickly and he is just going through the motions as he pours, stirs, adds a dash of milk to three cups. Marinette does this often, he thinks. Often enough that she calls her Elise and knows the layout of her kitchen.

The villains of Paris really are a different breed to those of Gotham, and he realises now why she was stern about his rough treatment of Mr Augustin, an ass though he was; Paris' villains were also its' victims, and they needed to be handled with care.

Done with the tea, he turns to Marinette, who is carefully organising biscuits into elaborate circles on a plate. She looks at him and smiles; chin up.

In the end they stay for an hour, Marinette and Elise chatting away about therapy and Elise's recent gardening endeavours while Damian listens, until their visit peters away into an awkward silence.

"I'll be back again to visit soon," she says at the door.

Elise tuts. "Don't be so concerned with me all the time, Ladybug. You need to look after yourself; you seem tired to me."

_She does? _Damian's eyes flick sharply to her, looking for signs of exhaustion. Marinette only smiles. "I manage."

"Even so..." Elise trails off and looks at him instead. "It was very nice to meet you, Lynx Maleun." She's smiling at him again and looking into her eyes, Damian finally finds his words.

"It was a pleasure to meet you as well, Ms Bisset. I - Thank you for having me in your home." But he still doesn't leave. Marinette, in the hall, doesn't rush him. He swallows dryly and adds, "I swear, I'll do everything in my power to protect Paris."

She smiles at him differently now; it's the smile of a mother. "I know you will, Lynx Maleun. I have faith in you."

Only when they're outside is he able to breathe easy again. The night is arriving gently, swaying in on the breeze.

"I understand now," he says. Marinette turns to him. "I understand what you said last night, about - me."

She smiles softly and hooks her arm through the crook of his. "Then you're halfway there."

* * *

At lunchtime the next day, Marinette wanders around the courtyard of Francois-Dupont holding two coffee cups; one for she and one for he, Mr Grumpy himself. She can't find him though, which is a worry. Instead she approaches Chloe, who cuts off whatever Sabrina was saying mid-sentence too meet Marinette halfway. She feels bad for Sabrina but her current concern overrides it.

"Have you seen Damian?"

Chloe frowns. "No, why?"

"I left him alone; I'm scared that he's wandering around, insulting anyone he meets." She looks around, fails to locate target, and turns back to Chloe. "Meeting at our place after school's done?" All transformed, of course.

"Sure," she agrees. "I'll let everyone know."

Chloe returns to Sabrina and Marinette keeps looking for Damian. Hopefully she finds him before he causes an international incident.

Later, at the hideout, she examines a map upon the large screen installed on the wall. She knows what she's looking for, it's just _finding_ it that's the trick. Damian is busily scouting out the rest of the hideout while they wait for the others to arrive.

"What's that?" Chloe asks upon dropping in, Nathaniel on her tail. Marinette spins around from the screen and her eyes go wide.

"Nothing." She clears the screen quickly as Nathaniel narrows his eyes at it.

"Was that a map of Tibet?" he asks.

"What were you doing looking at that?" Chloe asks. "And don't say _nothing_, I paid for this screen! You can't hide the stuff you do on it from me."

"Not now, Bee."

Damian emerges from one of the side rooms and pauses upon seeing his fellow team mates. "Hello," he says stiffly. Chloe, the only one aside from Marinette who is well aware of his identity, smirks lightly and nods in return.

"Hi. It's nice to meet you." Nathaniel approaches the new hero, hand outstretched to shake. Stood next to him, Nathaniel looks like a human noodle, fancied up. "I'm Fantasmo, and this is Queen Bee." Damian takes a long pause and Marinette only breathes out when he takes the proffered hand and gives it a single firm shake.

"Lynx Maleun," he says. Chloe looks at Marinette and smirks again.

Kagami and Luka soon arrive too, him carrying something in a shopping bag, and Marinette invites everyone to settle down. Sat in a loose circle on sofas so new their cushions barely dip, Team Miraculous convene for the first time. They're all hidden behind their masks, but she hopes they will come to know each other as if they weren't. A sense of tentative hope settles over the room.

* * *

"How about Captain Paris then?" Viperion calls from the attached kitchenette. He's put his bag on the glass table and gone to riffle through the cupboards, looking for glasses. He returns with six of them balanced in his hands.

Damian stiffens, and spits, "A brigand and an ungrateful wretch."

"What, he went in on you afterwards?" he asks, raising his eyebrows.

"Not me, on _Ladybug_. It was unbelievable."

"It happens," Ryuko says, shooting Marinette a sympathetic look as Viperion withdraws a bottle of wine from the bag and opens it up. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"

"You want me to kick his ass?" he asks, already half out of his seat.

"_Yes_," Damian says at the same time as Marinette says, "Don't you dare."

"Because we'll do it," Queen Bee says, managing to sound haughty even as she threatens violence in Ladybug's name. Fantasmo nods vehemently.

"Yeah. Who does he think he is, talking down to you?" Viperion says, scowling. Damian is quickly being worked up into an avenging sort of mood, when Marinette changes the subject. She's quick to do so, he notices. (This is probably a good thing; if Viperion and Lynx Maleun were able to work each other into a powerful enough avenging mood, all of Paris may be laid to waste.)

"I took Lynx Maleun to meet Elise last night." From the way they go quiet he knows that they're all on first name terms with the woman as well. All bar Fantasmo, who leans closer to Damian and mutters, "Queen Bee took me to meet her last week. It was - It was a lot."

"And how is she?" Viperion asks, feigning levity, even though his voice is stiff with repressed anger and he looks like to snap the flimsy stem of the wine glass between his fingers.

"Better. Getting better all the time." He nods and begins aggressively humming the Beatles to himself, swigging from his glass.

Damian looks at Marinette, who tilts her head; are you okay? He nods. "I thought he did very well," she says. "Elise liked him a lot."

"How could she not when he has such a magnetic personality?" Queen Bee asks, smirking.

"Hey -"

"You'd know all about magnetic personalities, I'm sure," he snarks.

Before she can bite back, Viperion interjects. "Would you like something to drink youself, Lynx Maleun?" He holds out the bottle of wine.

Scowling, he starts, "I don't think -"

“Americans aren’t allowed to start drinking until they’re - middle aged, or whatever,” Queen Bee interrupts, waving a hand dismissively.

“I’ve drunk before,” Damian says, trying not to scowl. “And the age is _twenty one._”

“Disgusting,” she sniffs.

"You know it's _dangerous_ to drink when you're on duty," he says to Viperion, feeling edgy because he doesn't need the other hero's _charity_, thank you.

Viperion raises his brows and puts the bottle down. "We're not on duty," he says evenly. "We're celebrating."

"Your awaited arrival," Queen Bee adds. "Oh Elevated One."

"Queen Bee," Fantasmo says quietly, ducking his head when she scowls at him.

"You fight well." Everyone shuts up and looks at Ryuko, who is in turn watching Damian. "I've seen footage of last night."

He swallows. "I - Thank you.

"I would like to train with you at some point," she continues, and tries for a smile. It's stilted and awkward but sincere, and he feels himself relax a bit.

Then an alarm rents the air, jolting them from the almost cozy circle they had formed as they all shoot to their feet. _"SENTIMONSTER ALERT. SENTIMONSTER ALERT. Please vacate the public space and await the following safety alert."_

Sentimonster? But that meant -

_"Mayura."_

Out onto the roof through the skylight, anything could await them. Damian's pulse begins to race -

Ryuko, at the head of the charge, halts, then asks bemusedly, "Is - Is that a teddy bear?" They all take a look, and yes it is. A twenty foot one to be exact. _What_.

"It's like the Stay Puft Marshmellow Man," Fantasmo mutters.

Marinette huffs a tired sigh. "Never mind what it is," she says, taking her yoyo from her waist. "We have a job to do. Lets go."

If it gets out that Lynx Maleun fought an overgrown teddy, he thinks to himself as he follows suit, Dick will never let him live it down.

* * *

In Wayne Manor, an unsettling quiet has descended. When Jason and Tim's initially only half-serious investigation into the identity of Ladybug began they were annoying, but easy enough to ignore. As time passes and news of a new Cat reaches them (apparently he had fought a _teddy bear?)_, the humour is dying away and the boys are only getting more serious.

Alfred doesn't want to imagine how they'll react when they find out... So he doesn't. Instead, he polishes the silverware.

"Alfred."

The butler reluctantly pauses in his ministrations and turns around. "Yes, Master Jason?"

The young man is visibly agitated. "You know who Ladybug is."

"Of course I do," he says, raising an eyebrow.

"I've been looking into it myself."

"And?"

There's a short, embarrassed silence. "I... have yet to find a single clue."

"You're a _wonderful_ detective, sir."

"Alfred, please." It's the defeat in Jason's tone that finally gives him pause. "This isn't just Tim and I being nosy. We're genuinely worried."

"And why is that, Master Jason?"

There's a long pause, and his already drawn expression strains further. "Because whoever Ladybug is, she's in danger. An old friend's been in contact recently, one from my time with the League of Assassins. Apparently Talia al Ghul left for Paris a few days ago."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are super appreciated! Constructive criticism is welcomed as well. (Especially yours, Sonochu. *Wink* Come and tell me I haven't considered the consequences of adding words to a Word document.)


	12. ii. Frightened By Shadows At Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's title is a line from Shine On You Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd, and Miracle Queen didn't happen. The end.
> 
> Actually also the first chapter of Mourning Star was posted the other day. Check it out, if you feel like it!

Over the next few weeks, they train and fight, fight and train. Marinette brings boxes of pastries to the hideout every Friday to celebrate another akuma defeated, another training benchmark surpassed. Her maps of Tibet remain hidden and her sewing machine begins to gather dust, but there isn't time to think about sketching dresses or hemming lines; not now.

Ryuko and Viperion have begun discussing the possibility of revealing their identites to each other ("Like, we've been partners for months now," Viperion had said over pizza one night) and the idea takes root in Marinette's head as well. She obviously knows who all of them are, but there is merit behind the idea of all masks being removed, she supposes.

"You know, Nightwing wants to talk to us about something," Damian tells the team one day, over post-training pastries.

"Like what?" Chloe asks, brushing icing sugar from her gloved fingertips. "Handing control of Paris over to the Justice League? I don't think so." Not for the first time, this sparks an argument between she and her partner.

"If he says he needs to talk to us about something it's probably important!" Nathaniel insists.

"If it's so important he'd make more effort to track us down," she says. "Or broadcast it across the sky. Forget him, Fantasmo." He looks like he wants to protest but doesn't dare, and instead does as he's told, the tips of his ears red.

Marinette and Damian, as Ladybug and Lynx Maleun, face off against each other on the crash mats more than once, their individual fighting styles making for some pretty intense matches, and on the Saturday morning before everything kicks off, he wins their best of three match. It's only by a razor's width but he's grinning victoriously nonetheless as he reaches down a hand to Marinette to help her back to her feet.

"Your endurance is improving," he teases. "See how much easier it is to use _my_ methods?"

Smirking, despite the loss, Marinette says, "O Great One, what do you know of lasting long, exactly?" Rather than answer he leans in close -

"Can you _not_ have sex right in front of us?" They jump apart as the jeers and laughter of their team mates reach them. It's Chloe who had said it, and she's leant up against the wall of the training room with a smirk on her face, the others at her side. The tips of Nathaniel's ears have gone red again.

"Your method is one of many, Lynx Maleun." Kagami is smiling patiently. "Don't be a training snob."

Marinette clears her throat. "I'm going to get cleaned up. I have somewhere to be tonight."

"Same," Luka says, holding out a hand for a high five as she leaves. Then once she's gone he turns back to Damian with a grin. "You're pretty impressive." His voice takes on a teasing tone. "So what is it? G-fuel? Steroids? I wouldn't -"

“I’ve never taken steroids in my life, Viperion," he says. "My more impressive muscle mass is simply a result of my genetic superiority to yours.”

Viperion blinks, then looks away. “I... have no response to that.”

He looks to Ryuko then. "And I am no _snob, dragon,_ I just don't appreciate them mocking me for being better educated than they are."

“I’m sorry, You Eminence, was I wrong?” she asks innocently.

“Fuck off,” he tells her.

"Better educated," Fantasmo repeats quietly. Wasn't he supposed to be the shy one, Damian thinks sourly as Ryuko shoots the Fox wielder an amused smile.

"We're just ribbing you Lynx," Viperion says breezily. "We do it because we love you."

“By the way,” Fantasmo says, “am we supposed to call you _Lynx_ Maleun, or _Lord_ Maleun?”

Damian sighs. “You can call me whatever you like.”

He nods. “Thank you, Belinda."

* * *

The cafe is low lit and cramped, and alive with the buzz and chatter of a slowly gathering crowd. It's an intimate space at the best of times; soon it will be packed to bursting, even though the night is invitation only.

Marinette keeps her eyes trained on the door, waiting to see if two people in particular show up. She's not holding out hope for either of them, in all honesty, which is why she's so pleasantly surprised to see Damian appear in the doorway. A displeased frown is already gracing his face, which deepens as he takes in the crowd. She had invited Damian along of course, but she wasn't sure if he would turn up. (In fact, she was rather sure he wouldn't.)

She gets to her feet and calls, "Damian! Over here!" Luka, sat at her side, helpfully waves. He pushes his way through the crowd to their cozy little window cubby and takes a seat on her other side. "You actually came! Tonight's going to be _great_."

"Don't jinx it," Luka says lightly. "Hey, you're Damian, right? How's it going?"

"I had trouble getting in here," he grumbles, and from the way they interact - or rather, by the way they fail to - she thinks they're both completely oblivious to the fact that they already know each other.

"Oh, Mr Wayne, that’s terrible,” Marinette says, trying not to smile. Chloe has told her _all about_ His Eminence. “You mean they didn’t know who you are?”

“You’re mocking me, aren’t you?”

“What, Marinette?” Luka asks. “Never, Your Lordship.”

“I despise you both,” he grumbles, eyeing Marinette. “I used to think you were sweet.” She only pouts at him, which makes his ears go red. This doesn't help.

"Ah well, it should be a good night." Luka sizes up the gathering and smiles. "The turn out's better than I expected."

"Of course!" Marinette says. "You're an _amazing_ musician, Luka. You'll always draw a crowd."

"Sweet of you to say, Ocean Eyes, but I had my doubts. Still, should be good. I've gotta go get plugged in." He jumps to his feet, electric guitar in hand, and heads off, throwing one last, "Enjoy the show, you two!" over his shoulder.

"Ocean Eyes?" Damian repeats, grumbling. "What sort of a nickname is that?"

"Jealous?" she asks lightly, and his tan skin flushes.

"_Jealous?_ Of _him?_ With his guitar and his stupid blue hair - Who has _blue hair?"_

Putting her hand on his arm, she says, "Damian, you have nothing to worry about. There's nothing between Luka and I, really."

"I wouldn't care if there was."

"Sure," she says dryly, eyeing his clenched fist before she moves her hand to it and works it open. "I'm with _you_, Damian. Don't be jealous." He hums low in his throat until she shatters his grumpy facade by pressing a kiss to his still-cold cheek and snuggling up to his side.

"I just don't understand the hype around musicians," he says, bringing an arm around her shoulders.

"Really? Come on, it's the talent! Everyone wishes they could play." At his doubtful look she adds, "Haven't you ever had something so incredible, everyone wants it?"

"I have you," he says. It's her turn to blush and forgetting the cafe full of people, they lean in closer -

"_Hey, are we getting not safe for work in here?"_ It's Alix, who's only just come in and is eyeing up the couple with a sly smirk as she whips off her woolly hat. On her tail are Kim, Max and Nathaniel, who pulls Marc along by the hand.

"Hey!" Marinette says, sitting up straight again. Damian huffs. "I didn't know you guys were coming."

"I promised Juleka," Alix says, nodding to the girl sat at the front of the cafe with Rose. Tonight is Luka's first proper solo show, and half of their class has showed up for it. Her eyes flick back to the door.

"We don't know if he's gonna show," Kim says when he catches her. "Nino was supposed to bring him but I don't know if -"

"I heard my name!" Nino himself strides in through the front door, letting in a massive blast of cold air as he holds it open for -

"Adrien!"

A small cheer goes up from their classmates as the blond steps inside. He smiles weakly at everyone, spots Marinette and Damian and makes a beeline for their table, taking Luka's vacated seat.

"Nino made me come," he tells them.

His friend calls, "You can thank me later!"

Damian is eyeing Adrien with thinly veiled distaste, no doubt recalling all that had transpired in Gotham. Marinette, determined that nothing will ruin Luka's big night, is quick to jump to action.

"This is a nice cafe Luka chose, don't you think?" 

Damian says, "It does help that it's only five minutes from -" but she stamps on his foot because she knows the end of that sentence was going to be "the hideout" and she does _not_ need Adrien to figure out that he's sitting with his replacement. He looks even unhappier then, and starts to play with the ends of her hair as Luka settles into a chair on the stage, guitar in hand, and the show begins.

He comes over to their table after the first set. "Adrien, glad to see you made it!"

"Nino wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Well he's name's not Ni_yes_. Hey, you play piano, right? Because I've been looking for someone who can. I have songs that need it." It's a great offer, the kind that Adrien would have jumped at a few months ago, and Marinette can see a faint kindling in his eyes even as he shakes his head.

"I don't really do that anymore."

"Oh, come on man, I'm not asking you to go on the road with me. Just look over what I've got and hammer out some notes to go with it."

"I don't -"

"I'm not leaving until you say yes."

Marinette knows what he's doing and it's very sweet, but... "I'm not sure pressuring him is going to help, Luka," she says. They both stare at her for a few seconds before Adrien clears his throat.

"I can give your songs a look-over, I guess. It couldn't hurt."

Luka beams. "Nice! I'll text you, okay? The show's on again."

He returns to the stage and gets settled again, and Marinette watches as Adrien lets out a long, hissing sigh, sinking down into the cushioned bench on which they sit. He closes his eyes, crosses his arms and doesn't move again.

Hypnotic electric notes glide across the room, blending into each other and over each other, infusing to the wood frames in the windows, sending Marinette half out of her mind and onto another plain entirely. She closes her eyes and melts into Damian's side.

"He _is_ quite good," she hears him mutter, and she smiles, suddenly aware of the weight around her shoulders - comforting rather than constraining - and the fingers playing with her hair, lulling her into a further relaxed state.

"I'm glad you came," she tells him. Whether she means to the show or Paris in the moment doesn't matter; she's just happy to have him, at her side, as her partner, in general.

"So am I," he says, and despite the room full of people he doesn't shy away when she entwines their fingers. Luka's hypnosis would put Fantasmo to shame, she thinks as her eyes drift shut. The last thing she sees is the warm flicker of the candle on their table, and then she is lost to the world.

A woman stands outside the quaint little cafe, watching the proceedings inside, but she doesn't go in herself and in the blink of an eye she is gone. The street is empty.

* * *

The apartment is gloriously quiet whenever Damian isn't in it. No grumbling, no complaining, no background symphony of grunts and thuds and kicks as his little brother beats up practice dummies... It's nice. Quiet, as he said.

Perhaps _too_ quiet.

Suddenly itching for interaction, Dick makes himself a coffee and goes to call Kori. It's been too long since he's seen his girlfriend in the flesh; since he's spoken to her, or hugged her, or done... other things with her.

She answers smiling and he suddenly misses her a hell of a lot more. "Dick!"

"Hey, Kori. How are things with the Titans?"

"Quiet," she says, which is a shocker. "Garfield has begun creating these... tok tik videos."

"You mean tik tok?" Suddenly, he misses home a lot less. "You're looking well!"

"So are you. But your apartment seems awfully quiet today..."

"Yeah, well, I got the place to myself again."

Her jaw drops. "_Damian's out?"_

"Damian's out," he concurs, nodding. "Kid's getting dangerously close to having a social life. A friend of his is doing a show at a cafe."

Kori smiles. "A _friend_. Damian doesn't have many of those."

"He seems to have made quite a few in Paris," Dick says, smiling back. He thinks of Lynx Maleun's team mates as he says this. "Paris agrees with him."

"It would seem to me that this Marinette girl is what agrees with him," she says. "I'd be fascinated for us to meet."

"You'd like her! She's very sweet." And a certified badass, he thinks to himself. The two women are really rather similar, the more he thinks about it; he'd be fighting to stop Kori from adopting her. Now his mind is back on Marinette, and his good mood flees.

"Uh oh," Kori says. "You have a troubled look on your face."

"I do? I mean - Yeah. I guess I am struggling with a bit of a moral dilemma right now."

"Would you like to tell me about it?"

Dick's heart swells with emotion. "Yes I _would_, Kori. _God_, you have no idea how long it's been since someone asked me if I'd like to _talk_ about something. Damian's a little heathen."

Amused, she prompts him to explain, and so he goes into the long sorry story about Damian and Lynx Maleun, Talia and the League of Assassins, and he gets himself all wound up in the process.

"I'm sorry Dick, but I don't _understand_ your dilemma." He watches, half-despondent, as Kori lies back on their sofa at home. A befuddled frown is marring her lovely face. "If Talia is a danger to these heroes then they need to know about her."

"I know!" he insists. "I do, it's just... It's just that Damian seems so..."

"Edgy?"

"_Happy_." Kori's confusion clears. "He's happy in Paris with Marinette. He likes being Lynx Maleun. If I tell him about Talia, that's all ruined."

"He still needs to know," she points out gently. "They all do." He knows that she's right, even if he hates it. He watches her get comfortable and wishes, not for the first time, that she was in Paris with him. Hell, if she knew that Marinette was Ladybug she might insist on flying over. Not that he'd tell anyone without Marinette's permission, but still. "Oh, and be ready!" Kori adds out of nowhere.

Dick frowns. "Ready? For what?"

An amused smile teases her lips as she says, "I believe Bruce has told Jason and Tim something about Ladybug that they didn't know before. From what I hear, they're not best pleased."

Dick's heart stutters._ Oh shit_.

* * *

"_Marinette_ _is Ladybug_." Jason's glare is piercing, nerve-inducing, and were Bruce a lesser man he would almost be afraid. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Damian's girlfriend."

Duke Thomas, otherwise known as The Signal, is only supposed to be stopping in for a check up with Alfred, but at this he turns around and blinks. "I'm sorry, Demon Spawn has a girl-"

"A _seventeen year old girl_ has been facing off against these monsters on her own for three years, and _you didn't tell us?"_

"What the hell is going on?" Duke asks, eyeing Jason with concern.

"You'd be a happier man not knowing, Master Duke," Alfred says.

"But I heard him say _girlfriend_. In relation to _Damian Wayne_ -"

"Is there _any fucking reason_ to have kept this from us? Because I sure as hell can't think of one." It's testimony to how furious Jason is that he's blanking Duke in the moment, because normally he wouldn't pass up an opportunity to make a joke at the youngest Robin's expense.

"The situation is being handled," Bruce says. "Dick knows -"

"Yeah, and he's in for it too once I get my hands on him. Fucking pretty boy thinking he's -"

"Jason, enough."

"No, no. It's not enough. I'm going to Paris too, just see if you can stop me. I'm going to Paris, I'm finding Hawkmoth and I'm kicking his ass."

"_Demon Spawn has a girlfriend?"_

Tim, having just burst into the room with Barbara on his heels, laughs humourlessly. "Not even the noteworthy part, Duke. You've heard about what's going on in Paris?"

"Like, with that Hawkmoth guy?" he asks uncertainly. "Sure."

"And Ladybug? Have you heard of her?" Duke nods. "She's Damian's girlfriend, and she's been -"

"She's been fighting Hawkmoth since she was thirteen, with no real back up," Jason interrupts.

"_What?"_

"And Bruce has known about it for months now, and he hasn't done anything -"

"_Haven't done anything?"_ Bruce thunders. "I've been -"

"This girl is _how old?"_ Duke asks.

"I guess we know who the new Black Cat is now," Tim mutters to himself, scouring the room for coffee to calm himself down.

Barbara asks, "_What the hell is going on_ -"

"Oh, like _you_ didn't know -"

"Jason, she didn't. I have been monitoring the situation -"

"_Enough._" Alfred's voice cuts through the room like a knife through warm butter. He's staring around at them all with a severe look on his face. "Master Jason, I knew before anyone else here about Miss Marinette. Would you also suggest that I am complicit in what's been happening?"

"I - Well no - Of course not, Alfred."

"But if you did know, why didn't you do something?" Tim asks.

He raises an eyebrow. "You think I haven't been doing something?"

For a second the room is silent. "Well _yeah_ -" Duke starts to say.

"Alfred is not unfamiliar with the Miraculous," Bruce says. "And as it is, he's been tracking down the old Guardian. Same person who was in charge back when Alfred was a young man." Met with a small crowd of blank faces, he adds, "The man responsible for choosing new wielders."

"So the guy who stuck Marinette with the Ladybug mantel," Jason clarifies. "Well, I am going to kill him."

"You're not killing anyone Jay," Barbara says irritably. "You know, I still don't understand what's going on."

"Neither do I," Duke adds helpfully.

"The start of unending vengeance," Tim says. "So you know where this Guardian guy is, Alfred? Lets go get him."

"I'm sorry, 'get him'?" Barbara repeats. "_Please_ tell me you're not planning to murder an old man."

"You're damned right I am," Jason says at the same time as Tim says, "I mean, I can't predict the future, Babs."

Alfred sighs, shutting everyone in the room up instantly. "Then I suppose we must be off."

Tim blinks and asks uncertainly, "To uh - To where?"

"_To where?"_ Alfred repeats. "To _Paris_, you nincompoop."

* * *

Viperion has started bringing his acoustic guitar to the hideout with him and he sits plucking at the worn strings while they wait. Nightwing has finally succeeded in approaching the group of heroes, requesting parley. With hesitance they had said yes, and so they wait now for him to arrive with whatever Doomsday news was so important. To pass the time they regale each other with tales of their recent heroic exploits. The hero of the hour arrives just as Queen Bee and Fantasmo are at the end of a tale involving a man trying to catch akumas with butterfly nets, the Seine river and thirty nine cans of Red Bull.

"You passed out in the _shrubbery?"_ Ryuko asks Fantasmo, bewildered. "What - I mean, there are better places to sleep, surely?"

"Yeah, this is Paris," Viperion says, looking up from his guitar. "There's a bench every two steps."

“Well - Well there’s an old saying,” Fantasmo stammers. “A bush is warmer than a bench.” Queen Bee snorts into her glass of Fanta Cherry and she gives her partner a look that's almost - dare Damian say - _fond_. Before anyone can point this out, a knock sounds on the skylight and they all tense up. The light atmosphere is as good as dead.

"Ladybug still isn't back," Fantasmo points out as Damian stands to allow his brother entrance.

Viperion shrugs. "She'll get here when she gets here. There was a disturbance. Captain Paris again, or something."

Damian opens the skylight and stands back. "You found us then," he says quietly as Nightwing drops inside.

"You _did_ say the building was called Orange Grove," he points out. "I gotta admit though, it was harder to find than I'd expected. Deliberately, I guess." He follows Damian through to the main living space, first eyeing his brother in full Lynx Maleun garb up close for the first, time, then taking the rest of the place in. "Nice digs!" The blonde in the yellow suit _hmps_. "Where's Ladybug?"

"She's -"

"On her way," says the one dressed in black, gold and red. Ryuko, the Dragon wielder. The young woman stands quickly, holding out a hand for Nightwing to shake. "It's a pleasure, sir."

He smiles and takes the offered hand. "Same to all of you! Thank you for welcoming me into your headquarters, and for trusting me with it."

Again, the yellow one looks like she wants to say something, but the red one digs his elbow into her side and says, "If your news is so important, we can make exceptions. I'm Fantasmo."

"And I am Ryuko," the Dragon wielder says. "This is Viperion -" She gestures to the one all in aqua, who picks at a guitar and offers him a friendly, if closed off smile - "And Queen Bee." _Ah_. That would be the scowling blonde. "Please, make yourself comfortable." That shouldn't be too difficult; the main bulk of the room is taken up by a circle of soft, brown sofas that look like they were _made_ for lounging around on, but Queen Bee's stare is making him uncomfortable, so he perches on the edge of one next to Damian, and they settle in to wait.

"This place sure is comfy," he says. "I'm amazed you get anything done around here."

"The constant threat of total annihilation keeps us on our toes," Fantasmo says, and Dick winces. 

He sincerely hopes that whatever Marinette is doing, she isn't too long about it.

* * *

Captain Paris isn't as much of a threat as he would probably like to think himself, and watching Mr Augustin bundled into the back of another police car, Marinette wonders whether there should be a sort of strike system for victims; get turned more than three times and some of the blame gets shifted to _your_ shoulders.

“I will get my revenge!” Mr Augustin shouts from the backseat of the police cruiser.

“Not tonight you won’t,” she says, slamming the door shut. The police officers are trying not to smirk as they doff their caps at her and get into the car themselves.

Her arms crossed, she watches the car drive off and shakes her head. Some people just can't cut it. With a tired sigh she turns and heads back down the alley to detransform; she wants to stop in at the bakery for macarons before she heads to the meeting. The time is nine fifteen, and Nightwing had said he would arrive at the hideout by nine, so if he has she's late, _again,_ but no matter. Then there's a noise. A small shuffling noise, from behind her. Marinette comes to a slow stop.

"Hello?" she calls, hand on Tikki's purse, thinking to herself that Hawkmoth can't _possibly_ have already akumatized someone else.

She hears the zing of twin blades being unsheathed and only just manages to dodge the first as it comes for her - and that’s _with_ her enhanced reflexes. She makes a grab for her, but the woman moves faster than anyone Marinette has ever seen. The blades flash silver again and Marinette stumbles. The woman catches her - And throws her into a wall. Stars explode behind her eyes and they haven’t yet cleared when she is dragged back to her feet, held up by the arm crushing her throat. “My name is Talia al Ghul,” she says into Marinette’s ear. “And if I ever see you near my son again, I’ll strangle you in your sleep.”

The arm constricting her windpipe vanishes and Marinette is left gasping in lung fulls of air. The woman has disappeared as quickly as she first showed up, leaving behind a faint scent of persimmons and an increasingly painful throb in the back of Marinette's head as the only evidence that she had been there to begin with.

Her heart won't stop hammering and all of a sudden every shadow feels like a personal threat. Marinette realises that she hasn't felt so exposed since the day Mourning Star was defeated; even facing off against the Joker hadn't left her so unsettled, for some reason. _Tikki help her_.

Still leant up against the brick wall, she tries not to panic and instead thinks to herself forget the macarons, she _really_ can't afford to be any later to the meeting with Nightwing. She transforms again, craving the security of her suit, pushes herself back to her feet and realises that her legs are shaking almost violently, so she furrows her brows, clenches her fists, and concentrates on calming down. _Calm... Calm_...

Calm.

Damian mustn't know about this, she realises. He had struggled enough to tell her about his grandfather; this would make him withdraw completely. With a shaky sigh she throws out her yoyo and sets off for the hideout, eyes scanning the shadows she flies over in search of a woman who smells like persimmons.

“_You’re late,_” Damian calls the second she drops in through the skylight.

“I’m _beautiful,_" she calls back on instinct, enjoying the easy banter that comes with him.

“You’re always beautiful.”

“And I’m always late, too, do you see?” Only when her eyes land on him as she round the corner, her throat goes dry and any other japes she may have wanted to make vanish in a puff of metaphoric smoke. _If I ever see you near my son again, I'll strangle you in your sleep._

Nightwing is looking between she and Damian like he's going crazy, so Marinette clears her throat, offers the man a shaky smile, and says, "Welcome to our HQ. You said you have something you needed to talk about?"

* * *

Dick clears his throat. "Yes, I -" He cuts himself off, looking at his little brother sat beside his girlfriend and the ragtag group of Miraculous wielders he now calls his friends. His mouth goes dry. _Damian, your homicidal mother is in Paris, and she's probably looking for you_.

The kids are still waiting on an answer and Damian has narrowed his weird, all-green eyes at him through the obsidian mask he wears as Lynx Maleun.

"There's someone in Paris right now who you need to be wary of," he says. Marinette - or Ladybug, as he should call her - tenses. "Granted, I haven't seen them yet, but I have it on good authority that they're here, and if they find you, they'll definitely cause trouble."

Now Damian has tensed up, his expression nearly identical to Ladybug's, and Dick knows that couples start to resemble each other, but _come on_, this is creepy.

The one called Ryuko asks, "Well who are they?"

Again, Dick is struck with indecision; if he tells them then Damian will doubtlessly shut himself off, and Dick doesn't think he's ever seen him so at ease before. On the other hand... Well, on the other hand, Talia is a dangerous, mad, homicidal murderess who will have no qualms hurting these kids if doing so will get her what she wants. He's pretty sure that "what she wants" is the Miraculous each of the kids possess.

The blonde one, Queen Bee, is glaring at him again, thus far unimpressed. Damian looks similarly dispassionate, and Dick curses himself. He should have told him in private, beforehand. It's just - Damian has seemed so much more at peace in Paris. Dick hadn't wanted to ruin that.

Sighing, he says, "An enemy of the Justice League has been seen in Paris. We're worried they're going to cause trouble for you guys as well."

"What enemy?" Viperion asks at the same time as Fantasmo tries, "The Joker?"

"No, not him. It's..." His eyes slide to Damian and Marinette, sat close together. He has his arm slung over the back of the sofa, by her shoulders. They're equally tense as he takes him in, and he sighs. "Her name is Talia al Ghul. She's with - an organisation." They don't need to know which one.

Damian has turned a sick sort of parchment colour and Marinette looks similarly drained. "I have a photograph of her I want you all to memorise, and she may not be here alone. She has a right hand man, Ubu. He could be here too, though I admit it'd be harder for him to hide than it would for her..."

Baby Bird, I'm sorry, he thinks as the heroes burst into harried chatter, drowning out anything else he might have said. Damian and Marinette exchange a loaded glance and Dick sees the hand resting by Marinette's shoulder begin to tremble. It's repressed rage, he knows. Lynx Maleun wouldn't want to have an outburst in front of his team mates, but Damian Wayne's temper is bubbling to the surface beneath his alter ego's calm veneer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments (of all kinds, including concrit) are as always incredibly appreciated <3


	13. ii. Exposed In The Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette shakes her head. "I'm not here to bargain with you, Talia. Tell me what you've done with Master Fu." The woman raises an eyebrow.
> 
> And then the room explodes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's title is the second half of the same line from last week's song, making Shine On You Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd our song of the day for the second week running.
> 
> Posted below are the WIPs of Darker Origins' Lynx Maleun and Ladybug, being drawn by the lovely banana_writes05. They're incredible, and they're going to be even more incredible once the drawing is complete done. Go and check her out. Thank you my love!!

* * *

Damian is up and gone before the rest of the team is finished dispersing (at Marinette's harried insistence, of course). He vanishes into the night with Lynx Maleun as his only cover.

She can admit that it's a pretty good cover, as she leaps from the skylight to pursue him, but when he's upset - _and_ when his mother is loose in the city - he should at least be shadowed.

"Ladybug!" She stops and turns back to Nightwing, who has followed her onto the roof. His expression is grim. "I shouldn't have broken the news like that," he says, scratching at his neck sheepishly.

Because she's upset, and because she hates to run about Paris as Ladybug in winter, she can't help but say, rather coolly, "Yes, I noticed you have loose lips."

He reddens. "We'll look for him together. You know the city, just tell me where to search."

So they split up and start looking, but Marinette's relieved (and secretly, maybe, just a bit smug) when she's the one to find him, detransformed by now, and alone.

He's at the train station for some reason, without a coat, so she's especially proud of herself for thinking to stop for hot cocoa. She moves to sit beside him when she remembers Talia's warning and a shiver shoots up her spine. _If I ever see you near my son again, I'll strangle you in your sleep_. Instead, she takes the seat one down from that one, and uses the one she had originally aimed for as a table. It's then that he looks over, sees the cup meant for him and takes it with a hand going red from the cold.

"Damian..." She knows she should be telling him about Talia, but she can't force the words past the tip of her tongue and it honestly feels as though if she does, the woman will know somehow, will track her down. He's looking at her expectantly now though, so she makes herself smile. "Drink up. It's cold out."

He eyes her oddly, like he knows something's wrong, but he does as she says, pulling a small face as the sharp sweetness hits his tongue. They don't speak, because they don't have to. There's nothing left to say.

Then after a while, once the chill is beginning to set into her bones, she sits up straight. "Come on bobcat," she says, nudging him with her shoe. "You don't want to sit here all night."

"Bobcat?" he repeats, raising one of his holier-than-thou eyebrows.

"Yes," she says, unrepentant. "A kind of lynx cat often mischaracterised as violent and unfriendly, when they're really just misunderstood."

"I don't quite know how to break it to you, habibti," he says, amusement beginning to shine through his foul mood, "but I really _am_ violent and unfriendly." 

"Well you're not to me," she says, as if that decides it. Then, dismissing any more fears of Talia's twenty four hour surveillance, she takes his hand and pulls him to his feet. "Come on. We don't want to stay here." 

"Alright," he says, squeezing her fingers, "but I'm not talking to anybody else tonight." 

"I wouldn't expect you to, bobcat."

He's staring at her with a brand of intensity that only he seems to possess, and she doesn't honestly know how to respond to it, so rather than try she turns to leave.

"Come on."

He yanks her back to him and he kisses her, long and slow, under the stone archway. She closes her eyes and sighs into it as his arms wind around her waist and her hands go to his shoulders. The world is silent, but in a good way, and contentment seeps into her bones to chase away the chill.

Even so, as Damian pulls away he murmurs, "Your nose is cold."

"_All of me _is cold," she counters.

"That won't do," he says, trying to move away from her completely. She keeps her hands planted on his shoulders to stop him. 

"Hey Damian, everything's going to be fine. You know that, don't you?"

It takes him a second to answer. "I do." He smiles and shakes his head, and pulls her into his side as they leave the empty train station behind.

* * *

The walk back to his apartment takes twenty minutes and when they open the front door, all of the hell that has broken loose inside hits them smack in the face.

"_She's just a kid, and you didn't tell us!"_

Marinette and Damian freeze in the doorway and look at each other. "I'm not going in there," he whispers, pointing to the living room which is just around the corner from them. "I meant it when I said I'm not talking to anyone else."

She rolls her eyes and shoves him towards his bedroom. "Go and hide then, you baby," she says, suppressing a smile as he stumbles in its direction, grinning back at her. "I'll deal with your big scary brothers."

He scoffs as he opens the door and falls inside. "I'm not scared of _them!"_

"Damian?" It's Dick calling, and Marinette huffs a sigh as he appears in the hallway. "Are you - Oh. Marinette, where is he?"

"He's gone to bed. He's tired."

Dick sighs guiltily, Mr Martyr embodied. "I messed that reveal up, didn't I?"

"_Who's there?"_ someone calls from the living room, and Marinette follows Dick inside. On the TV she sees Jason Todd and Tim Drake. "Marinette!" Jason says. "You're alive! Thank god."

"Of course I'm alive," she says. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"_Villainy_, Miss Ladybug" Jason says.

"Plus you've been dealing with Damian for ages now," Tim adds. "He hasn't been bragging much, has he?"

"Sometimes it's all he ever does," Marinette says. "Look, I've been doing this for years now. I mean it's been harder recently, but I've always managed. There's no need for all of you to worry about me."

"Don't be silly," Tim says, "we're already on our way over."

Marinette blinks. "I - What?"

"Well we wanted to kick Hawkmoth's ass," Jason explains, like he's talking about the weather. "And also Dickie boy's for keeping all these secrets, but then Alfred kindly pointed out that we had to go to Paris to do any of this."

"So we're coming to Paris," Tim finishes. "Roll out the welcome wagon, Dick."

At her side, he rolls his eyes. "Nightwing's already been banned from making public appearances by the Ladybug Superior -"

"You can come out if there's an emergency!" Marinette protests.

"It's only going to be worse with Red Hood and Red Robin sticking their ugly noses in."

Jason smiles smugly. "You're not changing our minds, kids. And another thing, _Mr Grayson;_ my nose is _not_ ugly. It's perfectly sculpted."

"It is," Tim agrees. "He's like a Greek God."

* * *

Adrien hadn't wanted to go to Luka's show. Nino had meant well in making him attend but he hadn't wanted to be there. He'd known he was sitting across from his replacement. Wearing the ring or not, he knew; for one thing, he could see the outline of it through Damian Wayne's shirt. Marinette thought she was helping him to hide the identity of Lynx Maleun from him. Nino thought he had been helping by making him go to Luka's show, who thought _he_ was helping by - What? Getting him to play the Bernie Taupin to Luka's Elton John? He's already texted Adrien about meeting up to "jam" together, and so far he hasn't replied.

As he leaves for school, he hears his father's low baritone drifting through his closed office door. A higher, female voice joins his, and they're laughing about something. Adrien's throat constricts and he is quick to depart, hoping on the way for a flash of inspiration as to Hawkmoth's identity - 

An old man is stood outside the gates, waiting. It's been a long time since they saw each other.

"Master Fu," he greets. "What are you doing here?" 

He smiles at Adrien in a grandfatherly manner and says, "Adrien, my boy. I was hoping we might speak."

"About what?" he asks, belligerence rising up in him out of nowhere.

"You know _what_, Adrien," Fu says, his tone warning him to keep things civil.

"Okay fine. Fine. You want to talk? Lets talk. Lets talk about _Mourning Star,_ shall we? I mean, it's been almost a year since you've tried to speak to me, so maybe you don't know, but we were on our own out there. A group of kids, for three days, against _her_. There was most dust in the air than _air_ and we almost died god knows how many times. Do you know what that's like to watch everything crumble around you? I was just a _kid._"

Master Fu is not smiling now. "I know more than you think, _boy_. I watched as my peoples' temple was destroyed, before my very eyes. I plucked the Miraculous from the corpses of my superiors and assumed the Turtle as I stood over the body of the man who had wielded it before me."

"Yes," he agrees, trembling, "and as I understand that was all _your_ fault."

"_Damn it Adrien!"_ Fu bursts. "I need you to think about this like an adult -"

"But I'm _not_ an adult! I wasn't when you chose me, I wasn't when I fought Mourning Star! I don't know what you came here for today, Master Fu, but I'm going to be late for school. You know, because I'm a _kid_." He storms past the old man and to the car, where Gorilla is waiting to drive him to Francois-Dupont.

Master Fu watches the car drive away then peers up at the old stone mansion he's stood outside. In the window of Gabriel Agreste's office he sees the silhouette of a woman. Fu blinks, and the woman is gone.

* * *

Damian isn't stupid; he knows that Marinette was hiding something from him last night. His trust in her is absolute, so he isn't worried, but after Richard's unwelcome revelation, he'd really rather know that nothing else is being kept from him. 

The street is empty this early in the morning, so he takes the front door to Orange Grove rather than climb up to the skylight. He can't be bothered with it, not when he's so distracted by other things. Up to the top floor he climbs, and shoulders open the front door, slams it behind him - 

And then someone _shushes him._

"Who did that?" he starts, rounding the corner before freezing. Luka Couffaine, the blue-haired guitarist, _Mr Ocean Eyes_, is sitting next to international fencing star Tsurugi Kagami, at the kitchen island. Marinette is seated opposite them, her head down against the black marble top.

Er...

Tsurugi Kagami is regarding Damian with the same sternness that Ryuko does. "Lynx Maleun," she says, "please keep your voice down. Marinette is sleeping." He blinks at her some more, and then realises what's just happened.

"Are you both crazy?" he hisses, dropping his transformation and whipping off his sweatshirt in quick succession. As Damian sits down, he begins to fold it neatly. “You can't just sit around like _this_,” he says, lifting Marinette’s head gently up from the table and sliding the hoodie underneath. Luka raises his eyebrows but says nothing. “What if someone were to walk in?” In her sleep, Marinette snuggles into the makeshift pillow and wraps her arms around it.

"You know that we've been planning to reveal our identities to each other," Kagami says, and Damian can't stop staring at her. The international fencing starlet is Ryuko. Richard would lose his shit. "It just so happened that Marinette was already here when we arrived." 

"We think she was working all night," Luka says. "Wouldn't tell us why."

He looks down at her, using his hoodie for a pillow because apparently she didn't get any sleep, and he frowns.

"Someone needs to wake her up." He looks back at Kagami then, who is also watching Marinette slumber. "If you don't leave for Francois-Dupont soon, you'll both be late. I have to leave myself; my tutors will be waiting."

"Ah, to be at school again," Luka says, radiating smugness as Kagami gets to her feet.

"Don't you have college?" she asks, and he shrugs carelessly.

Damian rolls her eyes. "I'll see that Marinette gets to school." There's a dismissal in his voice that they both pick up on. Kagami gives him a nod and transforms, heading for the skylight.

Luka shoots him a look and says, "Good to finally know you, Lynx. You see that our girl's okay, you hear?"

As he too transforms, Damian calls after him, "I don't need _you_ to tell me that, snake."

Then he and Marinette are alone and memories of last night come floating to the surface. He allows himself a smile before he shakes her awake, and by the time they get to class they're both clutching cups of coffee and croissants, having stopped at the bakery on their way.

"Marinette, honey, you look tired," Sabine had said as she handed the pastries over. "You and Chloe didn't stay awake too late last night did you?" Ignoring all the side eyes she was getting from Damian, she denied that anything was wrong at all, said that she had been asleep for one o'clock, and promised her mother that everything was a-OK.

"So your parents think you were with Chloe last night," he says lowly, as they slide into their seats at the back. "Is there anything else that you're hiding?"

Her lips thin. "Not every hero is lucky enough -" The door opens again as Adrien arrives, looking particularly moody, but then it _is_ Monday. She begins again. "We don't all have families who we can be honest with about our double lives."

"I understand that, but it isn't what I asked you. Marinette, I know that something happened last night." Her throat constricts - Talia had _crushed_ it - and she looks away. To her left, Nathaniel is sketching out a new comic. "I'm _asking_ you, Marinette, to tell me, if it's something that I need to know." She lets out a low, shaky breath and hears him sigh. When he speaks next, his voice is closer. "Habibti, _please_."

"You know it's really not fair to use that nickname when you want something from me," she says, and her voice comes out strangled. "But you're right. Something did happen, when I was on my way to the meeting with Nightwing." He nods, so she sighs and takes the dive. "Damian, I was cornered by your mother on the way. She said that if she saw us together again, she was going to kill me." When she gathers the nerve to look at him again, his face has gone curiously blank. "Damian?" His mouth is opening and closing but no noise is coming out and he reminds her oddly of a fish, but she can't laugh right now. "Damian, please say something."

He never gets the chance, because the classroom door opens again and Ms Bustier glides in. "Good morning class. I hope you're all ready for your history test."

Damian is the only one who doesn't move to retrieve his pens. He doesn't even react when the door opens for a third time and a flushed Lila comes rushing in, babbling some bullshit story to account for her lateness.

"Please, just sit down and shut up, Miss Rossi," Ms Bustier says tiredly, massaging her eyelids.

"What, you mean you _don't_ believe that her meeting with the Prime Minister was urgent?" Chloe asks with her usual brand of biting sarcasm, not even bothering to glance up from her nails as the class president takes her seat amidst smirks and giggles. _That_ breaks him from his stupor and he barks a loud laugh.

Lila turns and eyes them with equal loathing, but it's Damian she focuses on. She smiles, but it’s sharp and meant only for him. “You know, Damian, you should probably think about being nicer to me.”

"What's that supposed to mean?" Marinette asks, narrowing her eyes.

Lila glances to her. "Nothing. It's just advice." Damian stares back at her coldly, and doesn't deign to reply.

"Quiet please," Ms Bustier calls, and Lila turns away from them. Still, Marinette can see that he's tense.

"I'm not scared, Damian," she whispers as class officially begins. "Talia isn't going to hurt me."

* * *

In his many years, Wang Fu has made a lot of mistakes. He's trusted people he shouldn't have, made choices that were wrong. Choosing Adrien Agreste to be Chat Noir wasn't one of them, however things might have ended for him.

With a sigh, the old man takes the Miracle Box from its hiding spot in the gramophone and rests an aged hand atop the cherry bark wood. It's half-empty right now, with so many active wielders in the world, but every day they come closer to retrieving the Butterfly and the Peacock. Marinette is doing a good job, and Fu is content.

"I'm glad that you cut out the middle man." His blood turns to ice as the woman's voice cleaves through the peace. "I was worried that after finding you, finding the box would be another problem." A blade touches the back of his neck. "Give it to me."

Fu doesn't move. "Who are you?"

"I believe you knew my grandfather, once, a long time ago."

His heart skips a beat. "Are you - Weng Keung's -"

"Ra's al Ghul," she says, her tone icier. "I have no relation to that weasel-ish _traitor_." The blade stays pressed to his neck but she applies no pressure. She'll have to if she wants to take the Box from him.

"I remember Ra's," he says. "A wise man. A _clever_ man. But woefully uneducated on matters of life and death."

Talia hisses, the blade vanishes and she turns him to face her, forcing his hand from the cherry bark wood in the process. "My father understood more of life and death than you could possibly comprehend, you old sack of _dust_." She's a beautiful woman, but now her face is twisted with rage as she bears down on Fu.

He doesn't flinch. "He intended to use the Miraculous for his own selfish gains. Had he understood what the Ladybug and the Black Cat _are_, he would never have tried to claim them for himself. Gods cannot be _possessed_. They cannot be _contained_. He intended to do both of those things."

"My father _was_ a god," Talia says.

"Your father _died_," Fu says. "A god cannot be killed."

Talia goes very, very still and Fu feels his own mortality crashing down on his shoulders. Then she calls out, "Ubu, take him," and before he can blink, everything goes black.

* * *

Marinette's instincts as a wielder tip her off to something being wrong. It's lunchtime and she's sat with Damian as they share a selection of sandwiches. The feeling prickles at the back of her neck and makes her bite down on her lip. When she looks at Damian he seems similarly discomfited. Tikki, inside her purse, is beginning to buzz about as well, and she sees a Plagg-shaped bulge trying to burst from Damian's jacket pocket.

"Something's wrong," he says, and Marinette's already looking for an escape route.

"It's Master Fu," she says, standing and stalking quickly from the hall. "Don't ask me how I know, it's just -"

"Instinct. I feel it too."

She nods but is too worried to talk. On the way out they cross paths with Chloe, who's also making an escape, and later Nathaniel, who is so quick to leave he doesn't notice them. They split off to transform and Marinette heads for Fu's house alone. She doesn't wait for the others to arrive; the feeling is clawing at her now, and she bounds up the stairs to his home, in through the front door -

The woman who smells of persimmons is waiting for her inside.

She is the sole occupant of the apartment; the gramophone is open, the box nowhere in sight. Talia, who in the light of day is clearly Damian's mother, observes Marinette coolly.

"I was wondering when you were going to arrive, Ladybug." She eyes Marinette's earrings greedily. "I want them."

"What have you done with Master Fu?" she demands.

"Nothing I'll be telling _you_ about. It was very clever, really,” she says. “To disguise yourselves as heroes in today’s Age of Supers. Who would suspect you of being anything else, except for those who know better?”

"Yes, congratulations," Marinette snipes. "Where's Master Fu? Where's the Miracle Box?"

"Not anywhere you're going to find it, my dear," she says. "Help me now though, and I'll give him back to you."

She's lying. She's _obviously_ lying, and Marinette shakes her head. "I'm not here to bargain with you, Talia. Tell me what you've done with Master Fu." The woman raises an eyebrow.

And then the room explodes.

From Marinette's perspective, it actually happens slowly. The walls cave in, the floorboards buckle, then the ceiling. The air fills with wood fragments and mortar -

"_Run, Ladybug_ -"

She's thrown into the air, or rather she falls through it, and lands out on the street as civilians scream and scatter - _The air was dust and it coated her lungs, and Luka was dead - _Her ears are ringing as the remains of Master Fu's home fall and scatter around her. Her face is bleeding but her suit has saved the rest of her -

"Ladybug." Oh, how Rena Rouge had _screamed_. "Ladybug!" This isn't Rena Rouge though. Rena is gone. It's someone - someone else. Is it Ryuko? Her eyes peel open. Yes it is. The Dragon wielder is knelt over her, peering into her face worriedly.

* * *

Kagami was stood out on the street, watching when the Guardian's home imploded and Ladybug - _Marinette_ \- was sent sailing through the air. Talia al Ghul somehow emerges from the wreckage completely unscathed but it isn't Ladybug she pursues now; she has just caught sight of her son, going head to head with the giant of a man that Nightwing had warned them about; Ubu. He turns Lynx Maleun into the wall, trapping him there and throwing punch after punch. Lynx Maleun lets his suit soak up the damage, waiting out Ubu's stamina, then explodes into movement once he's worn himself out.

Kagami doesn't intervene; Viperion's at Lynx Maleun's back already and if she isn't mistaken, that's Nightwing she can see on the horizon.

Instead, she rushes to Marinette's side and drops to her knees. "Ladybug." No response. A frown creases Kagami's brow. "Ladybug!" Behind the ruby mask, Marinette's eyes open, and Kagami is able to breathe again.

"R-yuko?" she murmurs.

"I'm here, Ladybug. Are you okay?"

Her eyes close again but she nods. "F-fine. I need - I need to stand up. Help me." She does, and she holds onto Marinette's hands as she steadies herself. "Talia has the box but she won't say where."

"Of course she won't," Kagami sighs. "She's fighting Lynx Maleun now." Marinette's eyes snap open. "Viperion's dealing with her right hand, Ubu, and Nightwing -" She looks into the distance and spots the hero, closer than before. "Nightwing's coming to help."

"Have you seen Queen Bee or Fantasmo?" Marinette asks, her voice starting to come out stronger as she regains her bearings.

"They were locating the Guardian. I haven't seen or heard from either of them."

"Okay. That's not good." Marinette looks off to the side at the fight raging between mother and son, and purses her lips. "If we don't hear anything in the next few minutes, I want you to look for them."

"I will, Ladybug. But for now -"

"For now, lets give the boys a hand."

Kagami dredges up a smile. "What would they do without us?"

Dashing for the fight as Nightwing also arrives on the scene, they leap straight into the fray. One of Talia's henchmen locks his gaze onto Kagami and springs for her. She drops low and sweeps his legs out as he reaches her, and just as he hits the floor she hauls him back up and sends him flying into the brick wall. His head cracks against it with a sickening sound.

Taking hold of him, she asks, "What have you done with the Miracle Box?" The man just grins and spits at her feet, so she kicks him in the face and leaves him unconscious on the ground. She turns to assess the battle.

Marinette is wrapped up with another henchman, literally. They roll across the tarmac together, locked in a desperate struggle until finally, she takes hold of him by the hair and slams his head against the concrete until he stops fighting her. She gets back to her feet, eyes a darker shade of blue, face angry. There's no respite though, and she's forced to immediately conjure a shield with her yoyo to hold off a new wave of attackers.

"Keep it up LB!" Viperion calls, and no wonder; he's trapped underneath Ubu, who is pummeling him into the ground, and if Marinette's shield doesn't hold, he'll have all of them to deal with as well.

"Well if you're bored of the big guy," she yells back, "you can always help me out!"

Ubu clocks Viperion across the jaw, and he spits out a glob of blood before calling back, "Nah, you're doing great!" Kagami springs for Ubu and once the hulking mass of man turns his wrath on her, Viperion is back to his feet, and the partners double team him. Viperion hits him from the side and Ryuko leaps, her sole crunching into Ubu's jaw. He sprawls on the ground and blood trickles from his nose.

Kagami looks down at the man and thinks, in the back of her head, that Queen Bee and Fantasmo are still absent.

* * *

Queen Bee is the brute force in their partnership, slicing through henchmen as if they were no more sentient than the practice dummies Lynx Maleun has them use. Nathaniel prefers a stealthier approach, using his flute to scare the goons from their path towards the Guardian, but it ends just as messily when one of them, so terrified by the visions before him, trips over his own feet in his haste to escape and goes backwards over a railing.

There's no time to regret this as Queen Bee gets into a struggle with generic henchman number eighteen and Nathaniel throws the flute across the room to crack the man in the teeth. He lessens his grip on the blonde, howling. This grants his partner the reprieve she needs to paralyse him, and then for a moment it's just the two of them. He takes in several deep breaths as Queen Bee hefts up his flute and brings it over to him.

"God, that thing's as heavy as a hammer," she says, passing it back as from the door up ahead a new, sole challenger appears.

Nathaniel tosses the flute up and catches it again, smiling. "Yeah. It hits like one too." He whacks the goon now aiming at Queen Bee's head with it then, and it connects with a satisfying _crunch _as the man drops to the grating.

Queen Bee raises an eyebrow at him but all she says is, "Come on Rambo. The Guardian should be up ahead." The warehouse creaks around them and they look to the top, there they know the Guardian is being held.

It's not _easy_ to fight their way through, and they definitely have to save each other's asses more than once, but when they reach the floor that Fu is being held on, they're faced with one last slew of henchmen. By this point Nathaniel has grown tired of playing for each set of them that they come across and he's using the aforementioned hammer function of his flute to full effect.

Fantasmo may not be the greatest fighter in their team (in fact, he's definitely the worst) but there's only so much you can do to defend from a hammer cracking you over the head, or kneecaps, or... other places. These guys may be good at what they do, but they aren't prepared for Miraculous powers and it shows. With one last wince-inducing attack from Queen Bee, the final goon falls to the ground, paralysed and groaning.

"Guardian?" Nathaniel calls, stepping over the poor guy. "Can you hear me?"

They find him tied up and battered in the room just ahead. Queen Bee sucks in a sharp breath at the sight, and no wonder. It takes a special kind of bad to beat an old man up.

He's the first to approach, pressing brown-gloved fingers to the side of the Guardian's neck and feeling for a pulse. Queen Bee crouches behind him, nearly buzzing with nervous energy.

"He's alive," Nathaniel declares, and her sigh of relief hits his neck. "Er - Guardian? Sir? It's Fantasmo, and Queen Bee. We're here to save you."

"I can't believe we don't even know his name," she mutters, then reaches forward to tap the old man on the cheek. "Hey, Guardian?" The man begins to mumble, and his head moves like he's trying to shake it. "Ha! He's waking up!"

"The - box..."

"Wha-"

"_Get_ \- _the box_."

"Where is it?" The Guardian slowly opens his eyes, breathing heavily, and nods to a spot behind them. It's been placed amidst a small pile of someone's personal effects, but it's _there_.

"Right. Lets untie him, then I'll take the box and you look after - the Guardian," Queen Bee says.

"Fu," the old man says. "My name - is Master Fu. And this has been - quite enough excitement for one - day. Get me out of here."

* * *

Marinette's shield has failed and now she's on her own with no one and nothing between herself and Talia's henchmen. She's getting backed into a corner and sweat trickles down her forehead, before Nightwing is there, stood between she and the hoard, holding them off.

"How many of these guys do you think she has?" she calls to him over the cacophony as he takes on two, three, _four_ of them at once. She catches her breath and leaps back in to help him.

"No idea," he says, breaking one jaw here, shattering a ribcage there. "The League have spies hidden all over the world." He twists, grabs the goon reaching for her by the face, and slams his head onto the tarmac from where he moves no more.

They're trying to reach Damian, locked in an intense battle of both wits and arms with his mother, so it's up to she and Nightwing, plus Viperion and Ryuko on the other side of the street, to defend. They're repelling attacks and forcing back goons in punishing numbers and though her muscles may feel the ache later, in the moment Marinette is nothing but adrenaline.

Then in the distance she sees Queen Bee appear and is that -

_She has the Miracle Box_. Fantasmo follows close behind, a staggering Master Fu in his grasp. They're too far away for her to tell, but she thinks he's okay.

"Queen Bee has the box!" she says to Nightwing, who just grunts in response. It's going to be okay, she thinks.

In a voice that booms across the street and silences the fight, Talia says, "All of you,_ stop._"

Immediately, the goons do as told. The heroes are left staggering where they stand, the sudden lack of fighting utterly disorienting. Talia and Damian have been going at each other for a good while but with her call she has managed to knock him down, and she holds a long blade to his throat. She's staring at something off in the distance and Marinette whips her head around, alarm shooting through her, but Fantasmo has ushered Master Fu to safety. So what is she...

Chloe is still holding the Miracle Box.

"_Queen __Bee, run!"_ Marinette shrieks at the same time as Talia calls, "_Ubu_."

The great, hulking man manages to appear as if from nowhere - in the frenzy they had failed to notice that he had regained consciousness - and Chloe is left running for her life, her enhanced speed the only thing saving her. Nightwing sprints for them, putting himself between she and Ubu, but the other goons spring to life again, and chaos erupts.

Chloe is tackled to the ground and pummeled, the box goes flying, and Marinette is off. It clatters to the floor, spilling open, and she struggles towards it desperately until a heel connects with the back of her head and her vision goes black as her face connects with the concrete. She shakes her head to clear her sight but it's too late. As she stumbles back to her feet she sees that the box is gone, and Talia with it.

The street is left empty, bar the League's departing goons, Nightwing, and the heroes of Paris.

* * *

The mood at Orange Grove is dark. Chloe, too tired to bother with discretion, drops transformation the second she's inside and flops gracelessly onto one of the sofas. Nathaniel, next in after her, chokes on his own spit at the sight and has to stumble for one of the kitchen bar stools when the other four heroes all follow suit.

"Just detransform, Fantasmo," Marinette says, scrubbing a hand down her face. "Our identities don't matter anymore." It takes him a minute to comply, because on top of everything else he's gone into shock.

"Hey, how're you doing, Fantasmo?" Luka asks, clapping him on the shoulder as he passes behind him.

“Not great," Nathaniel mutters, still dazed. "The elastic went in my favourite socks this morning.”

“Man, everyone’s getting it today,” Luka says, sitting down and picking up his guitar. “Talia stole the Miracle Box, and now this?”

“Don’t take the piss,” Nathaniel says, coming back to life a bit.

“Take the piss? Sock elasticity has been lost.”

Marinette is pacing around the hideout, sick with anxiety and totally restless. Kagami watches her from the sofas, expression grave, and Longg hovers around his wielder's head wittering to himself.

"The League have been after us for centuries," Plagg is saying. "We've always managed to avoid them."

"It's those Lazarus Pits," Tikki says, shuddering. "They make me _sick_."

"Yes, please tell me we're not going near them," Sass concurs.

What the hell is Marinette supposed to do now? Master Fu has been hurt, the box is gone, none of the kwamis want to go anywhere near the people who took it -

"We need to track my mother down," Damian says, barging back into the room without ceremony. "It's vital that we don't allow her to get too far ahead of us."

"That's going to be tricky," Luka warns, and Damian shoots him a wry smile.

"It usually is."

"So we need a way of going after her," Marinette says. "Like a... _helicopter?"_ She turns slowly to face Chloe, who is already raising her eyebrows in anticipation. "You wouldn't happen to have one of those lying around..."

"No, I wouldn't," she says. "Sorry, but I'm already pouring more money than I should be into Orange Grove. If I spend any more my father might actually take notice."

"I have a helicopter," Damian says. "Well, my father does. We can pursue her in that."

It's then that the full implications of what this means for him hit her. "Damian..."

He cuts off any protests she might have. "She's taken the Miracle Box. Granted, it's half-empty, but even a single Miraculous in the hands of my mother is cause for concern. We need to get it back, one way or another. So, we take the helicopter. Immediately."

"I-Immediately?" Nathaniel has been stunned enough since the slew of identity reveals, but at this he pales dramatically. "You mean -"

"She's going to take the box back to the League," Damian says. "If that happens... Yes. We leave _immediately_."

Marinette's instincts tell her to say no. To say that they need to take time to plan, gather themselves together, but she is consumed by panic so she has him get started. "The rest of you... Kagami, Luka, you two stay here. You've looked after Paris on your own before, I trust you to do it again. Chloe, Nathaniel, you'll come with Damian and I." Chloe nods, resolute, and Nathaniel turns the colour of spoiled milk.

"If that's what you think is best," Kagami says. "We'll cover for you, don't worry."

"We've got your backs," Luka agrees. "We'll look after Fu. You just concentrate on getting the Miracle Box back."

With that, the hideout erupts into movement. As the sun finishes setting down outside, Marinette prepares to face down the League of Assassins. To start, she turns off her phone, which has been ringing since she failed to go home after school.

* * *

Hours after the battle is ended and the Miracle Box is gone, a stray Miraculous remains behind. It lies there, on the ground, forgotten amidst the rubble.

Until somebody picks it up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any plot similarities this chapter shares with M*****e Q***n are totally incidental. Believe me, I wouldn't imitate a thing from that tire fire.
> 
> As always, your kudos and comments are greatly appreciated. Thank you all. They make me smile :)


	14. ii. Boy, You're Gonna Carry That Weight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Whatever else happens, Damian," Marinette says, "it's you and me. Until the end."
> 
> "Until the end," he agrees, allowing himself one last moment of inner peace before the storm he sees on the horizon threatens to drown them both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty obvious, I think, but today's title derives from Carry That Weight by The Beatles!
> 
> This story's prequel, Mourning Star, was recently completed! Now I can back to concentrating on one chapter at a time. *phew*

"The League are impossibly powerful," Damian says. He's marching to and fro in the hideout's main living room, gathering together different weapons and medicines and other assorted supplies that they keep about the place. "We can't beat them in a fight, or reason with them -"

"So we can't do anything? Is that what you're saying?" Chloe asks. She's stood by the TV screen, arms crossed, glaring. Kagami, sat on the sofa, is trying to watch the news from around her head.

"We can _outsmart_ them," Nathaniel says from his perch on one of the bar stools.

Damian shakes his head. "Unlikely. We're running on sheer dumb luck here."

"Sheer dumb luck, _and Ladybug_." Nathaniel smiles at Marinette, who thus far has been silent.

"I - Well yes," Damian agrees. "You _do_ have a mind for schemes."

"_Phone thief_," Chloe coughs into her fist, and Damian says, "Wait, what?" as Marinette crosses her arms, flushed red in the face, and says, "_Right!_ So how do you suggest we do this?"

"We need to try and catch up to them, take the box back while it's in transit. Once they have it situated within League headquarters, getting it back will be nearly impossible."

"Do you think we're wasting our time here?" Nathaniel asks.

Damian finally stills. "I... think that whatever else happens, the situation cannot be allowed to stay as is. We go after them, intercept them. It needn't be too complex."

"It needn't be," Chloe says, "but it be. So what exactly are we going to do about it?"

Whatever he might have said, he is stopped from saying when a tapping comes on the skylight.

"I'm going to fetch my katana," he says, shooting a disgruntled look in the skylight's direction as he leaves.

It's Nightwing, and Marinette stops him in the kitchen as Chloe, Nathaniel and Kagami quickly transform. "Hey! What are you doing - doing here?" She's stammering, just like she used to, but if he realises what they're planning...

"I was just dropping in to see how you're all doing," Dick says. He takes in the hustle and bustle, and what's going on seems to dawn on him at once. "Are you guys going somewhere?"

Marinette freezes in place, and can't quite meet his eyes. "We need to stop Talia taking the box back to the League."

"We're going to get it back," he says. "There's no need for - whatever all this is."

"You don't understand," she says, turning to him at last and flinching under his disapproving glare. "We _have_ to get the box back."

He smiles humourlessly. “Did you at least say goodbye to your parents?”

"Wow, what crawled up your ass and died?" Chloe drawls. Nathaniel is looking between them all like a fox caught in the headlights. Kagami is ignoring all of them, and has continued trying to watch the news; a goat has been made Mayor of a small southern town. Nightwing turns a severe look on Chloe then, but she doesn't flinch. "What, big strong American hero, stopping in to tell us what to do?"

"_This isn't a joke, Queen Bee!"_ he snaps, and it's the first time he's done so to her. She blinks, surprised, and uncrosses her arms. "The League are _serious_. You could all get hurt. You could _die_. Do you understand that or not?"

Marinette purses her lips to stop her eyes from watering as Damian comes back in. “Stop it, Nightwing.”

“I just thought you might have wanted to consider this, before you go and get yourselves killed.”

“_Enough_,” Damian snaps. “What’s done is done."

The elder’s glare doesn’t lessen. "So you're going to chase them down? _Fucking hell_, what is this? _'Operation out of the frying pan'?"_

Marinette stammers, "So - So come with us!"

He considers this for a moment, then nods. "Fine. Fine, alright. But not without you all letting the appropriate people know," he adds sternly. "I won't facilitate a kidnapping."

"Very well," Damian snaps. "But we can't be slowed down, so move your ass."

"Yeah, lovely," he says bitingly. "I'll be back in ten minutes - All of you, stay where you are!" He vacates the hideout, and Damian waits approximately five seconds before saying, "Come on, before he comes back!"

Chloe and Nathaniel snap to, and rolling her eyes, Marinette follows suit. "Alright, fine," she says. "But only because I'm worried about the box. When your brother kills you, you'll tell him first that this wasn't my idea."

Kagami, finally able to watch the news in peace, doesn't pay attention when they all leave, and is therefore quite surprised when Nightwing returns exactly sixteen minutes later, to an almost empty Orange Grove.

"Oh," she says.

* * *

_"What?"_ Dick shrieks. _"Where are they?"_

"I don't -"

"Those little _fuckers_," he hisses, leaving again immediately. Ryuko follows him out onto the roof then down to the street, which is completely empty.

"Oh," she says again. Ryuko looks truly surprised by what they did, which suggests that this bout of stupidity at least isn't habitual. "Well..." she says. "At least you didn't facilitate a kidnapping."

He's still stood in the exact same place, caught between disorientation and tranquil fury, when the two Stooges roll up half an hour later. Ryuko has left and returned with the Snake, Viperion, who finds the situation far too amusing for his liking. Dick hasn't ruled out that he helped them do this, however much he denies it.

"I notice a distinct lack of welcome wagon, Dickson," Jason calls.

He's too agitated by just how _fucking dumb these kids are_ to rise to the bait. "Damian and Marinette are both gone. They took off, in a helicopter."

"_They took off_," Tim repeats, "_in a helicopter._"

"Talia was here. The League have stolen the Miracle Box."

"_Wow_, we missed _all_ the good stuff."

"_Jason_."

"Hi," Viperion says, looking between the newcomers warily.

"Hey there, Aqua Man," Jason says, eyeing the Snake's all-aqua attire. "Strange to see you out of the ocean." Viperion's eye twitches at that but Dick doesn't say anything because he's still mad about the grand theft helicopter that he's half-convinced the Snake facilitated.

"Do the two of you know Lynx Maleun as well?" Ryuko asks.

"Never met him!" Tim says cheerfully. "But we're familiar with the League."

"Motherfuckers," Viperion mutters. "Who beats up an old man? You think Ladybug will be able to find them?"

"They're the _League of Assassins_. It's not like they have a landing strip or tourist hot spots, or a Travelodge for newcomers," Dick says. "They're not on any maps."

"That's the only thing that stopped me from giving them five stars on Yelp," Jason says. "_Well_, that and the whole resurrection thing."

"Personally I think that worked out in your favour," Tim says.

"Well sure, but they could have _asked me_ first."

"Weren't you brain dead?"

"That's not very nice, Tim. See if I keep working with you now." Ryuko and Viperion are staring at them like they're crazy. "Anyway, Alfred's gone round to see him -"

"He won't find much," Dick says. "Talia blew up his home. I've put him up in our building for the time being."

"We know," Tim says. "_Alfred_ knew before we walked in the place. Man's a fucking psychic, I'm telling you."

"Who's Alfred?" Viperion asks sharply. "What does he want with Fu?"

"A catch up, that's all," Jason says. "They're old friends, apparently. So if you two wanted to follow your team he'd be alright."

"No, it doesn't work like that. We can't leave Paris," Ryuko says. "With the others gone, we're the only wielders left to defend it."

"Okay, well someone needs to go after the idiots. _You two_ do it," Dick says to his brothers.

"Oh, I'm not flying with him," Jason says, pointing at Tim.

Viperion's phone vibrates and when he goes to check it, his eyebrows shoot up. He shows it to Kagami, who becomes gape-mouthed. "Oh wow," she murmurs.

"What's going on?" Dick asks, and they look at him like they've just remembered he's there.

"Nothing," Viperion says. "Personal stuff. Are we going round there?" he adds, looking at Ryuko.

"We've already told Elise we're visiting," she says. "We can meet him afterwards. So you two are going to help our friends?" She eyes Jason and Tim critically, and Dick is amused to see his brothers shift nervously until she gives a single, sharp nod. "You'll do. But you bring them home safe - _all four of them_ \- or I'll make you regret it."

* * *

Wang Fu has seen better days, if he's being honest with himself. His home is gone, the box he spent his life defending gone with it, and the kids he chose as wielders, also gone.

_Kids_.

He sighs, steepling his fingers together as he reclines in his new apartment. They _were_ just kids when he chose them, but what was he to do? Wielders had always been brought into the fold from a young age. That was simply how the Order did things. Still...

A knock on the door snaps him from his reverie. Is there _any_ chance the League would come back for him? The knock comes again, so he eases himself up, wincing, and hobbles to the door. The man waiting on the other side is a ghost from the past.

Fu smiles faintly. "The Green Viper. My friend, it has been too long."

"It's been a very long time since I was the Viper. A long time since I last saw Sass," Alfred says, "but I think to think a part of him stayed with me."

"Indeed," he says, standing aside to allow the other man in. "He has a new wielder now."

Alfred nods. "I've heard of him. Viperion. And of his team mates... and _Ladybug_." There's something sharp in his tone that puts Fu on edge. "Very young for independently acting wielders, aren't they?"

"Will you sit down, old friend?" They take their seats opposite each other, and Fu knows what is coming. "Have you come here to say something to me?"

"No, merely to ask you a question." Alfred steeples his fingers just as Fu had been doing a minute ago. "What... _on Earth_ were you thinking? Choosing young wielders is one thing, but it's another thing entirely to drop them into such a life and leave them to handle it alone."

"They handled it very well."

"And then they were attacked by a villain that they were very nearly overwhelmed by," Alfred says. "I know that the previous Black Cat was forced to hand his Miraculous back afterwards. He should have _never_ been put in that position. None of those children should have."

"It is an _honour_ to wield a Miraculous," Fu says, his eyes narrowing.

Alfred's tone takes on a certain coolness. "I was only a lad when they dropped the bombs on London, so I wasn't old enough to fight, but the other boys on my street were. Tom and Charlie, Robert and Judd... More than I can name, now. They all went off to war, and none of them ever came home. Were were told that they died for _honour_. I would use a different word. I would call it a tragedy."

* * *

Nino Lahiffe is nothing if not persistent. When he buzzes the gate of the Agreste Mansion, he makes certain that he isn't turned away as he had been on the day he was akumatized. Memories of the Bubbler lead to memories of Carapace though, and with a shudder he focuses on nicer things, like his best bud, Adrien, who he is here to cheer up. Nathalie Sancouer, rather pale in the face, lets him pass without much resistance for once, and he bounds up the stairs to find him. No worries of Gabriel; the man is a phantom in his own house.

_"Adrien! My dude!"_ he bellows, blasting his bedroom door open and swaggering inside. He freezes right in the doorway, staring with wide eyes at the maze of notes pinned to his friend's climbing wall. "Adrien," he repeats, horrified. "Man, where are you?"

"Here, Nino." He's sat at his desk, staring listlessly in Nino's direction. "What are you doing?"

"I'm here to see you."

"Oh." He looks back at his desk, where a map is spread out. "You wanna know something interesting?"

"I guess -"

"Hawkmoth first appeared in 2014, and at first his attacks were localised to our part of the city," he says, as if Nino had never spoken. "That suggests that he's situated somewhere in this area." He points to the section of the map he has circled in green. "Or at least, he _was_, because two years ago the locality of his victims began to expand." He gestures to a wider circle, this one orange. "So maybe -"

"Adrien."

He stops and turns to his friend. "Yes?"

Nino looks uncomfortable. "What have you been up to recently?"

"I - Well _this_." He gestures again to his research.

"Yeah man, that's great, but what... _fun_ things have you been doing?"

"Fun?" Adrien feels his tentative grip on the situation begin to spiral.

"Yeah! Like, what games have you been playing recently? You want to play Starfox? Or how about Juleka's brother, Luka? He asked you to play with his band, or something." He has no answer to any of this, can only gesture weakly to the research that has consumed his life for the last few weeks, for a third time. Nino doesn't look happy. "Text Luka back, dude. Come on, lets have some fun." Adrien hesitates, so he adds, "I'll only do it if you won't."

At that he caves, digging his phone from his pocket and punching out a quick reply. "There, done. He probably won't respond anyway. He was only saying that to seem nice -" His phone vibrates in his hand, and Nino's smug look wakes some dormant emotion in Adrien, who rolls his eyes. "Yeah yeah, laugh it up Chuckles. So he _wasn't_ fronting."

"He say yes?"

"Yeah, he's saying to meet him at the park." He stuffs his phone away. "You win, Nino! Happy?"

He smirks. "Bursting at the seams, man. Now come on! It's not healthy to hang around in this creepy ass mansion all the time."

"Dude, I live here," Adrien says, following his friend from the room.

"I know, but I don't judge."

The day is chilly so the boys make sure to wrap up warm - or Nino does, and Adrien just puts on whatever Nino hands him - but Luka Couffaine seems not to feel the cold at all. He's dressed in a hoodie and jeans, stood with Tsurugi Kagami, wearing a much more sensible puffer jacket, black with floral patterning. Their heads are ducked together and they're talking about something quite intensely; Kagami looks worried, Luka less so, but when they see Adrien and Nino approaching they quickly shut up.

A gaggle of girls he recognises from school worsen his mood; muttering to each other about Lila Rossi in adoring tones and going silent as he and Nino pass by them.

Greetings are rushed and awkward, and Adrien is regretting ever having left his bedroom, but he doesn't want to disappoint Nino so he searches for something to say. "I uh - I like your puffer coat, Kagami! Looks warm..."

"Nice," Nino mutters at his side and Adrien tries not to blush. Yes, that _was_ the best he could come up with.

"Thank you. Marinette made it for me," Kagami says with a small, proud smile. She holds out the bottom of the coat, where Marinette's signature is stitched in gold.

"_She did?_ That's amazing," Adrien says.

"Yes, she is," Kagami agrees, smiling more widely. "It's good to see you, Adrien."

Luka asks, "So uh, you guys want to convene to somewhere warmer? My studio, maybe? I'm freezing my nuts off here."

"You have your own recording studio?" Nino asks. "That's _sick_, dude."

"Please don't inflate his ego," Kagami says. "His 'studio' is a cupboard. Jagged Stone won't be stopping by any time soon."

"Your words hurt me, my Targaryen Queen, but your eyes - they adore me."

She's smiling as she says, "They do _not_."

"Do!"

"Don't."

Adrien and Nino exchange an apprehensive glance but they follow the duo anyway. "Hey, can I have a go on your mixing board?"

"Sure!"

"Oh _hell yes!"_ And with that, Nino is running ahead of them all, and Adrien is left with no choice but to follow after all.

* * *

They fly through the rest of the day and all of the night, over land then sea then land again, miles and miles and miles of it. None of them try to talk; even without the deafening thrum of the helicopter blades that force them into noise-cancelling headphones, they wouldn't know what to say. They can't even strategise, though Marinette does her best in her head. She and Chloe keep shooting each other significant looks but what those looks are trying to actually _say_ is a mystery.

Nanda Parbat, buried within the mountains of the Hindu Kush. Damian insists he knows where he's taking them, and seeing as the place isn't on any map, they have no choice but to sit back and trust him. They're out of their depth and continents away from anything familiar. When they're two hours out from their landing zone, it occurs to her for the first time that they will almost certainly lose.

The helicopter skims over the mountains, the wind from its blades cleaving a wake through the treetops. Unusual birds are scared off, scattering in flashes of orange and green and yellow. The copter pulls around in a circle, slows and hovers. The clearing is right below them.

"_I told you I remembered_," Damian calls uselessly, because they're all wearing massive noise cancelling headphones and they can't hear him. Marinette reads his lips though, and she rolls her eyes, smiling. Because, as he took care to remind them all no less than seven times on the flight over, Damian is a _Wayne_, an _al Ghul_, and he of course knows how to land them as well, and they touch down in a stone-floored clearing some time in the mid-morning.

"Are we all ready?" Marinette asks, readjusting to sound again as the blades slow to a stop. Outside the windows, a mountain range awaits.

Chloe nods, though personally Marinette thinks that she has never looks less prepared in her life. She tumbles from the copter, rights herself and turns back to the rest of the group, hands on her hips.

It's a bit of a drop from their landing to the forested path Damian plans to take them on.

"This is the only route we have a chance of catching them on. It intercedes with the road from the landing strip mother will have used." When he catches her incredulous look from him to the drop, he shrugs. "Grandfather liked to incorporate survival into all aspects of my life."

He starts down the wall swiftly but with practiced ease, and Marinette and Chloe follow suit. Nathaniel hovers nervously on the edge.

_"Guys...?"_

_"Come on, Kurtzburg!"_ Chloe barks.

"Identities, Bee!" Marinette says.

"We're half way up a cliff in the middle of nowhere! Who's going to hear me? _Come ON Fantasmo_, _you're not afraid of heights are you?"_

"_No_," his increasingly distant voice calls, _"I'm afraid of falling!"_

On the ground, Marinette elbows Chloe before she can insult him, and shouts, _"You have five minutes! We'll wait for you up ahead!" _Nathaniel's muffled reply is unintelligible, but they take it for a yes.

"It's fucking cold out here," Chloe says, hugging herself as they follow Damian. Marinette can't help but agree. "Why couldn't these assassins base themselves on a beach somewhere?"

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Marinette mutters as they slip beneath the tree canopy.

When Nathaniel finally catches up, they've convened on a collection of rocks that Damian had very smugly proclaimed he remembered the exact route to, drinking.

"There you are," Chloe says. "We thought you'd decided to stay up there."

He ignores her. "Do we know where we are?"

"Of course," Damian says. "I was learning to traverse these forests, blindfolded, when I was a mere toddler."

"Yes, yes, Lord Maleun," Chloe says, getting to her feet. "What else?"

"No, really," he says, following suit. "When I was four years old I climbed my first mountain. I was expected to do it all by myself. Learning the layout of a forest was nothing in comparison." He sets off walking and makes it past two trees before he realises that no one is with him. Frowning, he turns back. "What are you all hanging back for?"

Chloe and Nathaniel are gaping at him. Marinette looks utterly devastated. _Oh shit..._

"Habibti -"

"Is that true?" she asks.

"Holy shit," Nathaniel mutters. Marinette is still staring at him, and she's not blinking.

"Come on, fox boy," Chloe says tersely, latching onto Nathaniel's arm and pulling him away from them. "We'll scout ahead, see what's going on." Without awaiting a response she marches him onwards, shooting Damian a calculating look as she passes him. He barely notices. Marinette is awaiting an answer, and though her lower lip is shaking, she meets his eyes with all the steely determination of an army.

"Did they really do that to you, Damian?"

He swallows. "I do not pretend that my upbringing was an easy one, but I never wanted for anything -"

"Didn't you?" Her tone cuts right through his crap, like it always does, threatening to leave him nothing with which to hide from memories of cold nights and colder hands. No, Nanda Parbat was no place to raise a child, but then, it was more accurate to say he had been dragged up anyway. To his mind, raising implied nurturing. He glances over his shoulder; Chloe and Nathaniel are hanging around a few feet ahead, waiting.

"Marinette." He takes one of her hands in his, and then the other, unfurling her fingers from the clenched fists she's making. "I never went hungry." _Unless they were testing me_. "I never lacked a roof over my head." _Unless they were punishing me_. "I was never denied my mother's love." _Unless I had displeased her in some way._ "I won't deny that it was difficult, but I'm okay." Despite leaving about half of what he could have said out, the look on her face suggests that she heard it all anyway.

"This must be difficult for you," she says quietly.

"What, choosing you over the League? Nothing's easier."

She wrests one of her hands free and puts it to the curve of his jaw, stroking her thumb over his cheek. He shuts her eyes and melts into her. _Marinette_.

"Habibti..."

"Bobcat. _My_ bobcat." He opens his eyes and immediately meets hers, blue as a sunlit sea. "Whatever happens... It's you and me. Until the end."

"Until the end," he agrees, and presses his lips to the crown of her head, allowing himself one last moment of inner peace, before the storm he sees on the horizon threatens to drown them both.

* * *

Their trek through the forest passes quickly, despite the winding path and the trees that dwarf the four heroes. When they come to the edge of the forest they are faced with a short mountain climb.

"You see?" Damian asks her. "If they had wanted to torture me they would have picked a forest with a _much_ bigger mountain than this for me to memorise."

"Shut up," Marinette says, gazing up to the mountain's peak. "I don't want to think about you all tiny and defenseless, alone out here."

"I've never been defenseless." But at her rather severe look he quashes his grin. "Right, lets go."

"Queen Bee, Fantasmo, wait here for us to call you," she says. "This could go wrong."

With that, they make the long, laborious climb. Marinette isn't sure what she expects to find over the crest of the mountain as she makes her way up it, but it isn't an almost empty roadway, a fortress just behind it. There are two League members guarding the gates though, so she sucks in a sharp breath and ducks back below the peak before they see her.

"I don't like this," Damian hisses. "Such a low number of Leaguers. They're baiting us, I just know it."

"So what happens if we take the bait?" Marinette breathes.

"Do you want to find out?" He's looking at her for an answer now. She glances back down the mountain at Chloe and Nathaniel. They're far enough away that they can run if they have to, she thinks.

"Okay. Lets do it. On _our_ terms, right?"

The climb down the other side of the mountain is done as quickly and stealthily as possible, but they do it out of sight of the guards, which lets her breathe a little easier. Then what happens next, happens fast.

They make it quite far really, before they realise the nature of the trap they are in. The area, apart from the guards, is empty - or it seems that way.

The dozens of others may as well drop from the sky, for all the sense she can make of where they came from, and Damian takes a step closer to Marinette, hissing. She almost wants to laugh; there are so many Leaguers that even with there powers she knows that they are faced with an impossible fight.

"Trespassers," the man in front says. "Get them."

They fight anyway.

There's a sudden outbreak of movement, and Marinette is punching, kicking, grabbing hold of Leaguers with the wire of her yoyo and flinging them away, only for them to be replaced by another one immediately. Damian has withdrawn his katana and he's fending off multiple attackers at a time with it -

Then there's bright blue sparking, and a sun explodes in front of her eyes. She flies backwards and hits the ground hard, her ears ringing, then she feels hands on her, grabbing her, dragging her up. She can't see their face but none of her allies would handle her so roughly so she hits out randomly and gets a bust lip for her troubles.

"_UNHAND HER!"_ It's Damian, and he sounds angrier than she's ever heard him. "_Take your filthy hands off her!"_ Her vision clears, and Lynx Maleun is being held down, snarling and struggling violently against his captors. "Release me! _Ladybug_ -" One of them smacks him across the mouth and his teeth are stained red.

The sight has her heart hammering with panic. "_No!"_ she shrieks. "_No, leave him alone. Leave him alone!"_

"Habibti, stay out of this," Damian urges. One of the captors booms a mocking laugh and repeats it to his comrades, who all jeer madly. The world is still a blur but it's getting clearer. In amongst the cacophony she strains to pick out the footsteps coming for her and struggles back against her own captors.

Her enhanced strength gives her a fighting chance against them, but no more than that. They're strong - impossibly so - and she's smart enough to know when she's being overwhelmed. She's struck once, twice, three times over the head, Damian is roaring in the background, and Tikki clings to Marinette's consciousness as everything goes black.

* * *

Damian is quiet; he had fought and threatened until Ubu said he was going to dislocate his jaw, at which point he finally went silent. He hasn't spoken since, won't even _look_ in Marinette's direction now she has woken up.

They have been taken to a sparce holding cell. It isn't a hostile environment in itself, except she and Damian have been chained to the walls facing each other, so any potential comforts they have been granted are rendered useless.

"I'm sorry." She opens her mouth to reply but none comes. He still isn't looking at her, staring into his lap, consumed by self-loathing.

She unsticks her throat. "You said yourself that following Talia was a risk, Damian. We all agreed to it, we knew -" 

"If you had never met me, if you had never invited me onto your team -"

"_Stop it,_" she hisses. "Don't you - Don't you _dare_ start talking like that, Damian Wayne."

"But this it's_ my fault_ that you're here!" he snaps. "I came to Paris because I wanted to help you, and instead I opened you up to my mother. I'm sorry, Marinette, I'm -" 

"Disappointed, but not surprised."

Talia al Ghul has opened the door and stepped inside, swift and silent as a ghost. Marinette and Damian freeze at the sight of her, and Marinette is beginning to dread the smell of persimmons that follows the woman around. 

"Your grandfather would be turning in his grave to hear you now." Damian doesn't reply; he is glaring at Talia so intensely Marinette half-expects her to crumble as if touched by Cataclysm, but the woman is solid Teflon. "The two of you have a lot of nerve coming here." The... _two_ of them? She manages not to look at Damian, but it's a near thing.

"How did you know that Marinette and I had followed you back?" he asks, and she knows he's thinking the same thing she is.

"Oh Damian, _really_, I knew you would from the first! I'm just shocked that none of your ridiculous motley crew followed. Your helicopter has been apprehended, of course, and its tracking devices destroyed. I won't have the Batman swooping down on us now." Marinette is only half-listening; _Chloe and Nathaniel escaped! _"Not now that I finally have the Bug and the Cat where I want them."

Damian visibly stills, where until now he had been resisting his restraints. "Mother," he says, suddenly remarkably calm - on the surface. "Mother, you wouldn't _dare_ -"

"Dare? Damian, it is not for _you_ to decide what I dare to do. Ladybug should not have followed me here. Exposed our location."

"That was me." A touch of desperation has entered his tone. "_I_ insisted that we follow you -"

"So now you're siding with this _girl_ over your own mother."

"You shouldn't have taken the Miracle Box, mother. You don't understand -"

"No, Damian, _you_ don't understand! Our family has coveted the Miraculous for _centuries_, and now here you are, wielding the Cat... and a _little girl_ holds the Bug." She sneers. "You almost did it, Damian. You _almost_ made me proud, but once again you prove yourself a disappointment."

"I wouldn't want to make _you_ proud -" A slap cuts him off and it rings through the cell, making Marinette wince.

"You're lucky I haven't taken those jewels from you by force!"

"Then why haven't you?" he spits, and his cheek is inflaming rapidly.

"I already told you, my son." She brushes his hair from his face and then cups it in her hand. She strokes a thumb over his cheek. The action makes Marinette shoot up - or try to. "Because I'm not done with you yet." She stands in one swift motion, walks to the door and looks back at Marinette. "Not nearly."

When she leaves, her footsteps echo down the long stone hallway until they're swallowed up by silence, and she and Damian are alone.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lovely artwork just above you was done by Goggles_McGee, of our very own Mourning Star. It's all for a project we're a part of called the Miraculous Rewrite, so check her out and give her some love!


	15. ii. The Bitch Is Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The glow of the lamplight seems to protect the young woman from the rain itself, somehow, but Kagami doesn’t think she recognises her. Her face is partially obscured by a russet orange mask; a hell hound helm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Named after one of my top three Elton John songs, The Bitch is well and truly Back.

"Where is Marinette?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, _boy?"_

Damian glares at the guard with enough heat to roast him alive, but the man has the gall to _smirk at him_, deny him answers. She was gone when he awoke that morning, to where and for what purpose, he had no idea, and he _still_ doesn't, hours later. It's driving him half-mad.

_"Tell me."_

"Why would I, when I can watch you squirm instead?" The smirk is widening, growing more smug by the second, and Damian could _kill him_, he knows he could. He's beginning to shake with the effort not to. "Do you think that is what she is doing, right now? Maybe they're hurting her as we stand here and speak. I bet she's a _screamer_, that one -"

Damian’s gloved hand cracks him across the mouth so hard that he goes flying back, falling and splintering the chair in his path into a thousand pieces. When he looks up, his eyes are dazed and his mouth is bleeding, and Lynx Maleun stands over him like a vengeful god.

"Disrespect my partner again, _I dare you to_," he hisses, and sneers as the man whimpers. "You're _pathetic_."

"_Enough_." Talia al Ghul stands in the doorway, and her glare is icy enough to re-freeze the icecaps. "The path Damian has taken led him away from us, but he is still _my son_. Ra's al Ghul's _grandson_. No one will disrespect him on soil that _belongs_ to him." The man stammers apologies, which neither Damian nor his mother react to, and he runs away before they can. "Pathetic," she says. "This League isn't what it once was."

"There's bound to be change when the man who ruled it for seven centuries finally dies," he says coolly.

Talia hisses. "Don't say 'finally', Damian, don't you _dare_. He was your grandfather -"

"He was a monster." Her hand snaps out towards him again and he tenses for the strike... Which never comes. Her lips are pursed and her raised hand is shaking with restraint. She clenches her fingers into a fist and takes a long breath.

"Marinette is perfectly fine," she says finally. "I'm going to speak with her right now, as it happens. It's time the two of us had a heart to heart, don't you think?"

* * *

"You want to know what I'm thinking? I'm thinking that I'd like to smash your fucking face into your desk."

Dr Blanchard's eyebrows move up his forehead slightly. "Okay. This is quite a change from your mood the last time we met."

Adrien huffs a sigh, his leg bouncing erratically because he can't stop it. "No, I'm not - I mean - I'm not _going to do that_, but you asked me what I was thinking."

"And is that what you're thinking about right now, Adrien? Hurting me?"

"No! No, not really. It's just the only way for me to get - _what I'm feeling, out of me._"

"Alright. So at the moment, you're feeling very agitated, am I right in saying that?" He manages a nod. "Because you're still trying to find out who Hawkmoth is?"

"Yes."

"We've discussed this, Adrien. I thought we had agreed it was a bad idea."

"We didn't agree to _shit_. I need to know - I won't be able to keep living my life until he's been caught."

"I think that you have a lot of repressed emotions, Adrien, possibly in part as a result of your upbringing. Isolating yourself, obsessing over Hawkmoth -"

"_No_ -"

"Rejecting people's attempts to reach out to you, _these_ are the things that will stop you from living your life." He stews in a sullen silence, refusing to answer. "Tell me about your friend's band again. How's that going?"

His jaw is clenched painfully tight, but after a few moments more of silence he says, "Fine. We got a few songs finished."

"That's good. Lets focus on that, shall we?" Adrien shakes his head, staring out the window into the growing darkness. "No? You don't want to?"

"I just - I _hate_ how you make me feel like a victim."

Blanchard's eyebrows raise slightly. "I make you feel like a victim?" He nods. "Lets talk about that, Adrien."

"I'd rather not." He's turned his head to stare at the old piano in the corner of the room now. It's been there for the last few sessions, ever since he first brought up his playing.

The doctor follows his eyes. "Would you like to play something?" He's said no the last few times he's been asked, but tonight...

Tonight he would like to smash his doctor's head into a block of wood, and that isn't normal. "Kind of," he says. He gets to his feet and makes his way to the stool. He runs a hand over the wooden top, trails his fingers over the keys. "I've been playing a lot recently."

"With Luka Couffaine." He nods. "Have you got a song in mind right now?"

"Do you know Your Song?" He sits down, presses a few keys, listens to the tinkling notes play back at him.

"Elton John, of course. Do you like to sing?"

He taps out the opening. "Only sometimes. Luka's the singer. He has a rock star's voice." He _is_ a rock star. So he hammers out the tune of Your Song, closes his eyes, gets swept away by it, and towards the end he calls over the music, "I'm not a victim, Doctor."

"No, I don't believe that you are."

"It's just..." His fingers hit the keys harder, but he's not paying attention to that anymore. "I don't like to think about it. That time."

"Mourning Star." Piano bursts through the room, louder and louder. "You're talking about Mourning Star, Adrien. Elise Bisset."

His eyes fly open, but they don't see. "I was _helpless_, those three days. When I think about it I'm helpless again. When I'm not - When I work against Hawkmoth I'm doing something."

"You're doing something right now, Adrien." Blanchard is harder to hear now, over the cacophony, but he had may as well be speaking right into his ear. "Something far more productive. Do you enjoy this? Your piano playing?"

He reaches the end of the song in a great crescendo, his fingers pressing down on the final notes and staying there, letting them peter out on their own. His breathing is laboured, his eyes water.

"Sometimes it feels like all that I have," he admits.

He doesn't sleep well that night, after getting back from Dr Blanchard's. His father had been waiting for him on the stairs when he walked in, as he always did after Adrien had been at therapy.

"Son, how are you?" Like a robot pretending to be human. Was that Adrien, or Gabriel? He didn't know.

"Blanchard gave me some exercises to try when I'm not feeling so good." He thought to himself, were this any other parent, this might be the moment for a hug or a kiss, or a word of encouragement, but not Gabriel.

"That's... good. Off to bed with you now. You need your sleep." He didn't get any though, and now at school he is feeling the sting.

The absence of several classmates doesn't go unnoticed by the class of Francois-Dupont. No one quite knows what to say about it, but Adrien finds it suspicious. Why are Ladybug and Lynx Maleun absent, unless something has happened to them? And if that's the case, then why are Queen Bee and Fantasmo both gone as well? He doesn't like it one bit.

"Man, with them gone the classroom feels half-empty," Nino says. "I wonder where they are."

"_Lila's_ not here either. I hope she's okay," Alya adds, leaning over her desk to reach them. When Nino groans, she snaps, "Don't be like that. Lila has a lot of good qualities!"

"Like the fact that she's not here right now," he says, reclining in his seat. "That's pretty cool."

_"Nino!"_

Adrien isn't paying them any attention. He's reading a blog piece on Kagami's most recent fencing victory, and tapping out a rhythm on the table as he goes.

The door opens and Lila walks in, an orange turtleneck replacing her usual spotted jumpsuit and a look of tranquility on her face that sets him on edge. Lila hasn't looked so at peace since Gotham City, and he doesn't like it. She's kept an exceedingly low profile as of late, but now...

"Well, look who's arrived," Nino mutters, leaning closer to Adrien as Lila stops at Mylene's table and strikes up conversation with her. Mylene, sweating, smiles and nods along, but she doesn't look very happy. "She's like an evil boomerang."

"How?" Adrien asks.

"We throw her away and she just comes back." He actually laughs at that one, nudging Nino's side as Ayla narrows her eyes at them, and then they can't stop.

"What are you two boys giggling about?"

"Nothing, nothing," Nino says, wiping a stray tear from the corner of his eye. "Your BFF's back, babe." A flush creeps up Alya's neck and she sits back in her seat, crossing her arms. "So you're definitely playing at the Engine Shed tomorrow night, aren't you?" Luka's concert. After playing together for a couple of days at Luka's tiny studio, he had somehow been coerced into saying he would play _on stage_ with him (and the rest of Kitty Section had been roped in as well, though it was definitely _Luka's_ show).

"Was I _drugged?"_ he asked Nino as they walked home in the dark. "He asked me to play in the show, and I started laughing, and then he was high-fiving me and saying_ thank you_."

"Adrien?" the Nino of the present asks. "You're not backing out, are you?"

He thinks about last night, in Dr Blanchard's office, and shakes his head. "No, I'll play."

* * *

Marinette and Talia sit across from each other. They're in Talia's private rooms, talking about Marinette and Damian's helicopter jacking, and the flight to Nanda Parbat.

Talia smiles. "And you told me you weren't organised."

She _almost_ smiles back. "I'm not, I just know how to improvise. Being Ladybug requires it."

"Is that so?" The woman's voice is light, almost pleasant, for the first time. "I'd like to know more about that."

"I'd show you, but you've taken my Miraculous away."

"That's true, but I could hardly let a prisoner keep their weapon, could I?" Marinette doesn't answer. Without her earrings - without Tikki's constant background presence - she feels naked. "Even so, I wouldn't give the Bug back to you."

"Why, because I'm a _little girl?"_

"No, because I don't trust you." Marinette finally looks up at her. "Child or not, you're still a Ladybug. That makes you dangerous." In spite of herself, she has to fight a smile; she likes the sound of that. A thought occurs to her then, and she sits up straighter, eyeing the crystal water goblet she has been given to drink from at this meeting. Talia drinks from one that matches, and just to quell Marinette's worries of poisoning, she had poured the drinks herself, from the same flagon.

"Why am I being treated so well here?" Talia raises an eyebrow. "I'm your prisoner, but you've given me so many freedoms." Like the freedom to wander the League's headquarters unaccompanied and undisturbed. It's downright unsettling so she hasn't done it much, beyond scoping out the place. "Even Damian is being kept under a closer watch than me. What if I tried to escape?"

"Without your precious Miracle Box?" Talia sounds amused. "I don't think I need to worry about that. And as for Damian, he simply has a temper that you don't."

"No thanks to you," she says. "He told me about what you did to him when he was a child. The _abuse_."

Talia's smile dies. "Those skills that you use him for; his precision, his impeccable fighting, are skills he honed _here_, in these very mountains, so don't deign to lecture me, _girl_, not over that. Not when you're cold enough to use the things he learned here to your own advantage."

"I am not _cold!"_ Marinette says, bolting to her feet. Her chair skids back across the floor.

"You must be, just a little bit," Talia says, picking up her goblet and drinking from it, completely unbothered. "Or you wouldn't be Ladybug. Any softer, and you'd be going around righting every wrong you came across with your Miraculous Cure." She snorts derisively. "No, _all_ Ladybugs are cold in nature, Marinette."

Her throat is constricting. "Well not _me_."

"No? Then why have you been here two days without asking me about your friends." _Her - Her friends?_ Marinette goes cold as Talia continues. "We examined your landing site, dear. _Four_ sets of footprints in the dust, not two. Just because we haven't found them yet, doesn't mean that they aren't here."

* * *

The day is cold and bright, but she supposes that every day is like that when you're in the _middle of fucking nowhere, the mountains_.

Chloe is holding her breath, not daring to breathe or even _blink_. A Leaguer stands before her, examining the cave they hide in but not seeing her. Nathaniel plays a low tune on his flute, which tells her the _how_.

"There's been a cave-in," the Leaguer calls to his friend, who soon joins his side. Now they're both staring at she and Nathaniel's cave, but they haven't been caught yet so she guesses that the Fox is working its magic.

"When did that happen?" the other one asks, examining the imaginary rockfall with such seriousness that Chloe wants to laugh. _Morons_. "Come on, we're not done yet. If the other two _were_ in there, we don't have to worry about them anymore." He kicks out at a rock that isn't really there and they chuckle, moving away. Chloe doesn't move until the sound of their voices fades completely.

"I think that was the last of them," she says, sitting down. Nathaniel doesn't answer, just looks at her. "You're probably safe to drop your transformation now. We don't need the flute anymore." He won't do it though, standing to stretch his legs, and she shakes her head.

They've been stuck hiding in this cave since they first ran from the Leaguers two days ago. If it weren't for the provisions they had taken from the helicopter before the League got to it, they'd be freezing _and_ starving by now.

"Is that..." Chloe looks up as Nathaniel trails off. He's crouched by the cave entrance, staring down at the forest. "I think I recognise those two guys. Don't you?"

She goes to his side. Her eyes narrow. "They're _Robins_. Don't you remember, that night with the Joker?"

His eyes light with realisation. "Yeah! When he was holding me hostage they saved me. What are they doing here?"

"Maybe they're here to help us."

"Sure! Nightwing came to Paris, didn't he?" Chloe doesn't answer that. "Should we call them over?"

"Are you _crazy?"_ she hisses. "We can't call _anything_ up here! Someone might hear us!"

She puts her hand to the Bee comb, thinking. It's too much to stay transformed all the time, especially in such cold conditions. She's wrapped up in an enormous black parka at the moment, but she could probably transform for long enough to get the attention of the two Robins who have appeared as if from nowhere in the clearing. Pollen is sheltering inside a woolly mitten, but she yawns and nods her head when Chloe shoots her a questioning look.

"I'm ready if you are, my queen."

"Okay then. Pollen, _buzz on!"_

"Wow," Nathaniel says as soon as the golden glow of her transformation clears. "Since when do you have _wings?_ Do they work?"

"I..." She cranes her head around to her back, and sure enough, a pair of silvery wings glisten at her. "I don't..." She and Nathaniel stare at the wings for a few seconds. "I don't know where they came from."

"Doesn't matter," he says. "The - The Robins."

_Right_. She stands abruptly and creeps to the edge of the cave. They haven't moved far yet. "I'll give these things a test drive then."

With a bit of concentration the wings start fluttering, then buzzing, and with a heart-stopping jolt she takes to the air. She clenches her fists and bites her bottom lip, willing herself to get the hang of these things quickly. She manages to reach the ground okay, and approaches the Robins with her hands outstretched. They spin towards her when she steps on a twig, and the one in the helmet is fucking armed. He'd better not fucking shoot her -

"You're Queen Bee." It's the other one, the - Red Robin? He's frowning at her. "What are you doing there?"

"I'm taking a _goddamn vacation_, asshole," she snarls. "What do _you_ think? The League have taken Ladybug and Lynx Maleun."

"Alright, princess, cool it," Red Hood says. "That's what we're here for too, so do you wanna put a clamp on it and help us?"

It's testimony to her concern for her friends that she doesn't bite Red Hood's head off for saying that, because she just jerks her head in the direction of the cave, high above, and says, "We've hidden up there to plan. Come on."

He follows after her, exchanging a heavy look with Red Robin, and says, "Today's your lucky day, bumble bee. The League and I know each other. _Intimately."_

* * *

For the rest of the day and all of the night, Marinette is tense, waiting. She expects her friends to be hauled out in front of her, prisoners. It never comes. Through the rest of her meeting with Talia she had felt as though she were being subtly taunted, and the feeling persists even now, out of her sight.

Damian is in the room they are being held in when she gets back, and she wonders if he ever left. He's under constant guard.

"Marinette." His voice is urgent as he rushes to join her side, then turns stiff as he realises something. "Where are your Miraculous?" he asks, looking at her earlobes.

"They took them hours ago," she says, eyeing him up. "You're still Lynx Maleun. They haven't taken _yours_." There are implications behind that. There have to be. She just isn't sure what they are yet.

The same realisation shows in his expression, tense and grim. "I don't know why. They won't tell me anything."

"I don't like this, Damian. Something's... off."

"You feel it too? Yes, there's a bigger picture here that we're being kept out of."

"Then we need back up plans." He smiles at her no-nonsense tone. "We can't let them catch us completely unawares. I -" The door opens and Damian moves himself in front of her on instinct. It's one of their guards, and he's leering.

For a moment, he just looks at them. "I asked to guard you, you know. My family have wanted the Miraculous just as much as Ra's al Ghul did. It was good of you, young lord, to bring us a complete set. Or, well -"

"Don't call me that."

"_Almost_ a complete set. My father, and his father before him, and _his_ father before _him_ -"

"If you've come in here to kill us, there are quicker ways to go about it than telling us your dismal life story," Damian says.

"Yes, and less painful ones too," Marinette concurs. She's straining to keep her tone even. "I think you should leave before you say something you regret."

"I think that's an excellent idea." _Talia_. Marinette shivers; she hadn't even heard her approach, but Damian doesn't look surprised. "It's not your place to intimidate them, now that they're here. Well what are you waiting for? _Leave._" The assassin glares at the floor but bows his head to them nonetheless.

When he's gone, Marinette makes herself turn around and say, "Thank you for that. It was... very good of you."

"Good has nothing to do with it," Talia says. "It was necessary."

"What do you want from us, mother?" Damian asks, showing his weariness in his voice for the first time.

"You are the wielders of the Black Cat and the Ladybug Miraculous," she says. "You understand them in a way that we don't. We have need of you because of this."

It doesn't feel like the truth to Marinette. It feels _wrong_. Everything has, ever since she first sat across from Talia in her rooms. As Damian said, there was something they were being kept ignorant of.

"I enjoyed our talk this afternoon greatly, Marinette," Talia says, though she doesn't really sound like she did. "I hope that we'll talk again very soon."

"Why not talk now?" Damian asks, then goes on to add, foolishly perhaps, "I've noticed I still have my Miraculous."

Talia smiles. "Yes you do, my son. You needn't worry; I won't be parting you from it any time soon. It's been years since we were this close."

"This close to _what?"_

"It happened a couple of decades ago; the League had been chasing after the rat who brought down the Order of Guardians. Wen Keung had made off with the Peacock Miraculous when it fell and he wasn't as good at hiding as your man Fu. We finally caught up with him, but we were too late. He had taken on a student, and on the night we found him, she slit his throat, took the Peacock for herself. I respected her, but it meant that we had lost our only chance to study a _real_ wielder. Emilie Agreste didn't last long herself before the Peacock got her killed."

_"Emilie Agreste?"_ Marinette repeats, heart stopping.

Talia smiles like a viper. "Of course, she was your friend's mother, wasn't she?" The woman turns to leave, thinks twice, and looks at them again. "Get some sleep, children. There's work to be done in the morning."

When they're alone again, the space between them feels wider, somehow. Marinette stares at Damian, Emilie Agreste's name rings in her hears, and he smiles at her. His expression is soft and sad, not one she had ever expected to see on his face.

The silence between them is vulnerable, and that scares her.

* * *

Kagami can hardly believe what she's seeing.

The Engine Shed is packed to the rafters, dismal though the initial applause had been. She and Nino had made up for the crowd's lack of enthusiasm by whistling and clapping so hard that their hands hurt. That's not an issue anymore. Adrien hits out notes on the old piano in beat with the rest of the band, and he's starting to _smile_. Not those staged, those faked, those _weak_ smiles that he has been giving out recently. He's smiling, genuinely, occasionally singing along as well, when he gets caught up in the soul of the music. Luka is singing through a grin, like this was his grand plan all along, and hell, maybe it _was_.

_"They're really good, right?"_ Nino calls to her over the cacophony and she's beaming as she nods. The crowd are beginning to go wild, she realises. _They love them._ Swept up in the sound, she begins to sing as well, and so does Nino, who also claps along whenever the song calls for it.

As though a great balloon is rising in her chest, she forgets all of the things that had her so worried and Kagami laughs as Adrien meets her eyes with his own, so alive, so vibrant. He even _winks_, grins a little brighter. He may not be better, and this high of his won't last, she knows, but in the moment he is happy, and so is Kagami.

Her phone vibrates.

It's an app she installed months ago, one designed to alert the public to akumas or sentimonsters. Her spine goes rigid but as she reads the message, she relaxes somewhat. It doesn't say that it's an attack by either Hawkmoth or Mayura, just that there's a possible disturbance. She checks the location, sees that she's only ten minutes out, and looks up at Luka, playing his heart out. With no confirmed attack it would be a shame to disturb him.

Tapping Nino on the arm, she says into his ear, "I've got to go do something! Shouldn't be too long." He looks confused but he's too consumed by the music to question her, so he nods and waves her off. With one last look to the band on stage, to Adrien, to her partner, she rushes to the door and out into the night.

It's raining, which dampens her mood a bit, but she transforms, quickly and out of sight, and sets off in search of the disturbance. A good few people must have received the same alert because it's ten o'clock at night in _Paris_, and the streets are empty. A cool wind whips her hair about her face and the rain is cold as it hits her, but her suit keeps her warm.

She turns one street corner, then another... And up ahead she thinks she sees a strange light. Her blood runs cold then, as she remembers Marinette's report of Mourning Star. There had been a strange light in the distance, before there had been anything else. She thinks about calling Luka for help, dismisses the idea, and cautiously walks in the light's direction. There's something blocking it, but the street is unlit by lamps and she can't make out what exactly.

_"Where is my boy?"_ Mourning Star had shrieked. _"Where is Jacques?"_ God, how Kagami had _burned_ when the akuma turned her wrath on her; she set Water Dragon boiling. But that can't be what this is. She had been at Elise's apartment, not a couple of days ago. She had been okay. She had been _healthy_.

It's a crowd of people. The _thing_ that's blocking the light. A hundred people, easily.

Kagami slows to a stop. None of them are facing her, or in _any_ direction other than forwards. They're all looking at something, or someone. Silent as the grave, still as the dead. A chill rips up her spine, but she gathers her nerves and approaches. None of them react. She moves to stand next to a young girl about her own age. Her eyes are glazed over, her mouth set in a slight gape. Kagami waves a hand in front of her face, but the girl's eyes don't track it. She moves on, further into the crowd.

The next person she stops at is an older man, his hair thinning on top, but he's in the same state as the girl, and as everyone else around him. Kagami snaps her fingers in front of his eyes. He doesn't blink. Her heart is beginning to swell with panic but she tries not to let it overcome her, even as she ponders what lies in wait at the front of the crowd. She shakes a woman by the arm, and gets nothing, then tries asking a young man if he can hear her.

Absolutely nothing.

She finally comes to the front of the crowd. The front lines. The light here is stronger, and she realises that it's nothing strange at all. It's a streetlamp. It's the only streetlamp on the street that's lit. And she can see the shadow of a person stood beneath it.

Shoving her way between two people stood close together, Kagami, at the very forefront now, stumbles slightly, rights herself and stills.

The glow of the lamplight seems to protect the young woman from the rain itself, somehow, but Kagami doesn’t think she recognises her. Her face is partially obscured by a russet orange mask; a hell hound helm. Her fringe hangs down over the front, but the twin sausage tails that rest to each side of her head strike Kagami as familiar. The girl watches her, a lazy, self-satisfied smile making its way to her lips. Her hands go to her hips, and the black fur that she wears around her shoulders slips down to rest in the crooks of her elbows.

She takes an uncertain glance back at the crowd, still on another plane, and steps closer to the woman, narrowing her eyes. “Do I _know_ you?"

“No, Ryuko. No, but you can call me... _The Hound_.”

“The Hound?” Kagami repeats, narrowing her eyes to search the girl for her akumatized object. “You work for Hawkmoth.”

She snorts. “Only as far as _he_ knows. I work for _me_.” But - Did that mean... _She isn’t an akuma?_

Kagami's eyes narrow and she shoves away the shock in favour of a sterner demeanor. "That's enough. No more games, Hound. Let these people go, whatever you've done to them, and hand over the Miraculous."

"I don't think so." The girl leaps for her, but’s it’s a clumsy attack at best and Kagami flips her to the ground without breaking a sweat, then kicks her in the face when she tries to get up. To her surprise the girl chuckles.

“Did you really think it would be that easy?”

Kagami shifts back but the Hound moves faster than expected and her fist slams into Kagami’s jaw with the force of a truck. She hits the wall and then the floor, kicks out at the Hound’s ankles and twists, getting back to her feet. The Hound, obviously enhanced by the Miraculous around her neck, still isn't fast enough to avoid Kagami’s left hook and it sends her stumbling back a few steps - but it _should _have sent her sprawling to the ground.

It doesn’t.

The Hound recovers and punches her again, and though she doesn’t know _how_ to punch, there’s so much horse power behind it that it doesn’t matter. Or should she say _Dog_ power? No, it doesn't matter. Kagami is down on one knee but pushing herself back up.

_"My loyal friends." _The call makes Kagami freeze. The Hound is still smiling. Why is she - Then Kagami remembers the crowd she had pushed her way through to reach The Hound in the first place. _A hundred people, easily,_ she had thought at the time. Her throat goes dry. "Get rid of Ryuko."

Kagami turns to look at them again. One hundred pairs of eyes stare back, unblinking. All of them, laser-pointed on _her,_ and now they feel _dangerous._ And when the first of them moves, so does she. The Hound watches her break into a run with a smile on her face; she knows _she_ won't be hurt. She leaps for a roof, where the pack can't follow her, but they surround the building on all sides, groaning with the sound of a zombie hoard.

_"Hound!"_ she roars over the noise. _"Let these people go!"_ But the villain only smirks at her, fur pulled back up around her neck. Kagami, in a temporary moment of anger, should like to see her swing from it instead.

This must be what a corrupted Dog does, she thinks, watching with mounting alarm as people in the pack begin to climb on top of each other, and over each other, anything to reach her, presumably tear her apart. She takes a running leap for the next roof over and the Hound's eyes follow her. The roof she left behind is beginning to fill up with mindless victims and none of them can jump like she can; some of them are bound to fall. All she can think to do is take out the Hound.

Leaping from the roof, she touches down before the new wielder and throws a punch at her head. If she loses consciousness perhaps her control will break. The elaborate mask protects her temple, but the Hound is only too willing to scrap, because at the end of her fingers are deceptive claws, not much to look at but razor sharp, enough to tear through the magic material of Kagami's suit and rip into her innards. She shrieks and doubles over, trying and failing to call for Air Dragon to carry her away. Another set of claws slash open her neck and leave hot blood gushing from the wounds.

The ground rushes to meet Kagami's knees but she doesn't feel the impact.

"Don't worry," the Hound says. "I'm not going to kill you. I'm just going to make you wish that I had."

"No," she manages, the blades still biting through suit and flesh, like dogs teeth, until the Hound pulls them out with a yank. The open sky meets her eyes as she keels back, and the rain blinds her, creeping beneath the material of her domino mask.

The Hound's face hovers over hers, triumphant. "So what do you think, Ryuko? If I can defeat you, how quickly will Ladybug fall?" And then she is gone, and the sky above is black and endless.

"No," she says again, and rainwater falls into her mouth.

All she can think, as she bleeds out on the tarmac, is that at least the Hound let her victims go. It's them who surround her now, those who are not stranded on the roof that is, in the last seconds before she goes under. The November rain hammers down on Ryuko's prone body as one of them panics and calls out to Ladybug for help. No Ladybug appears, but Viperion is at the scene then. His silence is frightening as he parts the crowd, takes her up in his arms and vanishes into the night.

The ground where she had fallen is slick with rain and blood.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Engine Shed is named after a music venue in my home town, because I'm missing it right now. I envision Luka having a singing voice similar to Taron Egerton's, and the songs I wrote the Paris sections of this chapter to were Honky Cat and Crocodile Rock, so I guess we can safely assume that Luka is, in fact, Elton John.
> 
> Also, meet The Hound! Her incredible artwork was done by gajer-1226 on Tumblr! The Hound is an original creation, and belongs to me.
> 
> Comments of all kinds, and kudos, are all held close to my heart <3


	16. ii. I Have Always Been A Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anger is rising in Marinette the longer she looks at the woman, so she gets to her feet and storms from Damian's lavish living quarters without a backwards glance.
> 
> "Oh dear. I hope the two of you aren't fighting," Talia says.
> 
> Damian narrows his eyes. "Of course we aren't."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fleetwood Mac provide the title for today's venture, from their beautiful song, Storms.

Talia al Ghul is smart. She trusts Marinette so little that the room she now sleeps in is stripped almost completely bare. She has a bed, and that's all. Not even so little as a loose nail is in sight, lest the League risk her stabbing one of them with it. She wouldn't do something like that, but they won't believe her when she says so. Her wall is lined with windows wide enough to see out of but not nearly wide enough to fit through.

In the courtyard down below, Damian is talking to his mother. He isn't transformed but he wears the ring. _The ring that Marinette gave him_. No, she thinks, don't talk like that. But even so it's hard not to feel at all bitter...

Talia says something and Damian nods, leaving to head back towards his own newly-gifted chambers. As he goes, he glances up at her windows and her heart jumps. She hasn't spoken to him all day, not since Talia's men first barged into their initial holding cell and split them up. Something in the way he moves now, all racked with tension and broody, makes her decide that this has to change, so she crosses the short space to her door and hammers on it until her guard yanks it open.

"Let me see him," she says.

The man narrows his eyes at her. "What for?"

"I want to talk to him."

"What about?"

She just manages not to sigh; the League are treating her as a very serious threat, which gives her very little time to actually _be one_. Their back and forth goes on for another couple of minutes before she breaks him, and she is allowed to cross the small distance from her room to his.

Stepping through the door, she slows to a stop. It's... nice. The room. It's _very_ nice. The bed is covered with sheets that look like silk. It's a _four poster_, and he has a small living area as well. Plush seats, a glossy table, books and carpets, hanging wall tapestries.

"Marinette." He has a leather bound book open on his lap, and he sounds surprised to see her. "You look troubled."

"Not troubled," she says as he places his book down and stands to join her. Marinette can feel her mind beginning to spin the more of the lavish room she takes in. "More... pensive."

"And what has you so pensive?" He has a _chandelier_.

"Your mother."

His smile is flat. He turns away from her. "My mother."

"The way she behaves around us is strange," she says, crossing her arms defensively. "I wonder about it. But... not you," she adds when she sees how tense his shoulders have become. "I don't wonder about _you_."

"High praise," he says, though a soft sort of smirk is overtaking his features. "I must admit, the way I see her look at you worries me."

"It does? I think she just likes me."

He snorts, grinning. "I can't see why she wouldn't." He takes her hand in his. "She certainly does seem to..." He lifts her hand with his, presses a kiss to her knuckles. She feels the urge to wrench herself free. "You're quite magnetic."

"Are you playing gentleman now, Damian?"

He tilts an eyebrow, and doesn't catch the sharp edge in her voice. "I needn't play anything. I simply _am_."

"If you insist, _sir_." Despite herself, despite this ridiculous bedroom that the princeling of the League has been given, she huffs a laugh and a silly smile comes to her face. "Listen to you! 'I needn't play, you are _magnetic'."_ She laughs again, properly this time, and after that she's giggling uncontrollably, leaning into his chest to stay upright. "You're so cute sometimes, Damian."

_"You take that back."_ ****

"Just admit that you were being cute with me."

"No," he says. "The price is too high." Her smile is tired and he manages a grin in return, tucks a stray lock of hair behind her ear. His hand lingers and their eyes lock -

Until the door opens, and Talia steps inside. She looks first at Marinette, who has leapt back from Damian, and starts to smile.

"I'm glad I caught you together. I wanted the three of us to have a talk. Lets sit." She brushes past them both and takes one of the turquoise seats, then waits. "Come on."

There's that wrong feeling again. It's screaming in the back of her head, but Damian only waits a moment to head over and sit down opposite his mother, so with a sigh Marinette follows.****

"Tell me about the Miraculous," Talia says. "Hawkmoth wants the Bug and the Cat. Why?"

"What makes you think _we_ know?" Damian asks.

Talia shrugs. "There's no need for such aggression, Damian. You have nothing to prove here. I know Marinette has read the Miraculous grimoire, presumably from cover to cover. It would detail such a thing in there, so I assumed that you knew. That you _both_ knew."

Damian stiffens and sends Marinette a sideways look, which she does not respond to. "Well you're _wrong_," she says. "I don't know why Hawkmoth wants them any more than you do."

Talia hums, seemingly amused over something. Damian clenches his fist and says nothing. "I suppose I'll try again tomorrow." Anger is rising in Marinette the longer she looks at the woman, so she gets to her feet and storms from Damian's lavish living quarters without a backwards glance.

"Oh dear. I hope the two of you aren't fighting," Talia says.

Damian narrows his eyes. "Of course we aren't." He picks up the book he had been reading when Marinette first came in and returns to it, blanking his mother completely.

This doesn't bother her. Talia simply smiles and rises gracefully to her feet, leaving him as well. As soon as the door closes behind her, his temper flies out of control and the book goes with it, sailing across the room and smacking into the door. The noise it makes rings around the otherwise silent room.

* * *

"Man, I can't believe that you actually _saw_ the Hound. And that she attacked you!"

"You could sound less happy about it, Nino," Adrien mutters. The DJ grins weakly when Luka raises his head to send him a glare.

"Don't worry," Kagami mutters. "It doesn't matter."

"Sorry," Nino says, "it's just scary to think that she was so close to us. I heard she did a real number on Ryuko. Didn't she get slashed in the neck too?"

"Yes. Coincidence." She tries a smile at Luka, who for once doesn't smile back. She gives up her attempt completely when she sees Adrien looking at her oddly.

The bandaging around Kagami's neck is tight and professionally done, but she can feel the wounds beneath the gauze throbbing even now. She picks at the blanket Dick Grayson covered her with when his butler had finished patching her up at around one o'clock in the morning. Luka hadn't known what to do, so he had gone to Damian's brother for help, she bleeding out in his arms.

"Ladybug normally fixes stuff like this, but she isn't here, and I can't take her to a _normal_ doctor, can I?" Lord, how scared her partner had sounded. That was how they met Alfred Pennyworth, Wayne family butler and qualified medic.

"Alfred takes care of all our wounds," Dick reassured her when she first awoke properly, to see the elderly man handling a needle and thread that sent volts of fear running through her. After that had been a lot of passing in and out of consciousness, dull pain, sharper pain, Luka hovering over her, pale as a ghost, and after his night had been going so well...

It's eight o'clock now, and Adrien and Nino have only been here for about ten minutes.

"The Hound's got the entire city in a frenzy," Nino announced the second they were in the door. "She's practically jamming up the airways. Alya woke me up bitching about her on the phone with Lila. _Seven fucking AM."_ Mentions of the new villain only made Kagami feel sick, with shame, with worry, with everything, so they spoke no more of it.

Now, she sinks back into the pillows as Adrien scrolls through his Twitter feed, eyes glazed over. Nino, sat on the arm of the sofa next to him, is reading a news story from his phone. "A pig the size of a pony was seen roaming the streets of Vienne," he says. "The police lured it back with a packet of Doritos. 'It is not known what flavour of Doritos were used to lure the pig away.' I think they need to remedy that."

"These people call themselves journalists," Luka says half-heartedly. Kagami rolls her eyes, but bolts upright when the door slams open and her mother appears, Dick Grayson trailing behind her.

_"Where were you?" _she demands.

Kagami wilts and says, "The Hound's attack. I was caught up in it. I got hurt. Luka and Alfred helped me."

Her mother's eyes narrow. "What? Alfred? Who is this_ Alfred?"_

"That would be me," the butler says, stepping into the room with none of the hesitance she can see Dick displaying. "Your daughter was hurt during the Hound's attack, Ms Tsurugi. Luckily, her young friends weren't far from the scene, and they brought her here."

Her mother surveys the man suspiciously, but amazingly eventually nods. "Thank you. But she will be coming home with me now."

"Of course," Alfred says, inclining his head. "Miss Kagami's wounds have been well treated and I have no worries of infection, but her bandages will need changing every twelve hours."

"Of course they will," she says. "You have ample supply at hand, I assume."

"If you would follow me, Ms Tsurugi, I will supply you with everything you need." He sweeps from the room and she follows him with the speed and confidence of a woman whose sight is pristine.

Dick blows out a long breath. "Your mother," he says, grinning ruefully. "What a woman."

"That's being nice about it," Luka mutters, and Kagami kicks him in the leg.

"Made me rethink my plans to gush over her fencing career."

"Too true, my man," Nino says, as he and Adrien stand to leave. "Scary woman. Friends with Adrien's dad, which uh - says something." Adrien keeps his head down and is the first to leave, Nino on his tail.

Dick smiles when Longg pokes his head out from Kagami's blanket, yawning weakly. "I fear for my friends, and their wielders," he says. "Were Ladybug here, Kagami would not be in this position."

"Don't worry, alright?" he says. "They've got Red Hood and Red Robin going after them, probably with them right now. Two of Gotham's finest. So, as long as Hood doesn't accidentally shoot one of them they'll be fine."

"You think he's going to _accidentally shoot one of them?"_

Kagami is halfway off the sofa before he stills her. "No no, _no_. I just mean - The League's going to be a viper's nest, if you'll pardon the expression," he adds to Luka. "He's trigger happy at the best of times. Accidents _can_ happen. But one won't." His phone vibrates and when he checks it, his expression falls. "Tom and Sabine. They're worried sick about Marinette."

"Marc's been asking about Nathaniel," Luka says. "Apparently he missed a date they were supposed to go on."

"I've got to deal with this," Dick says, shrugging on his coat. "You feel better, Kagami, and remember that you two aren't alone in this." He sends them a significant look and leaves, just as Alfred reappears with her mother on his heels.

"What a nice man," Ms Tsurugi declares when they're outside, Luka helping Kagami ease herself into the car beside her. "They don't make them like _that_ anymore, let me tell you."

Kagami and Luka wrinkle their noses at each other, before he slams the door shut and the driver starts the engine up. As they pull away from the curb, she closes her eyes and sinks into the leather seat, the feeling of blades slicing into her stomach now a distant memory.

* * *

"I don't know if this is going to work," Tim says, looking through his binoculars. "The League's headquarters are basically impregnable."

"I'll impregnate the bitch," Queen Bee mutters darkly.

Not for the first time, Jason edges away from her. "It'll work, as long as we all follow the plan. _Hey, Ron Weasley_, are you listening to me?" Fantasmo jumps, and nods hastily. "Are you ready?" He nods again. "Then you'll get us started. You know what you're doing."

"Right." Fantasmo lifts his flute to his lips, and begins to play.

Almost instantly, the guards down below start to shift in place. From their spot at the cliff edge, the group of four watch as the duo turn to each other and begin to converse. They're too far down to be heard but their mounting unease is plain to see. Fantasmo furrows his brow and his tune turns more complex, more eerie. It makes Jason's skin crawl if he's being honest, but soon the guards are taking steps backwards, they're running. Their panicked shrieks begin after they try and fail to fight off the imagined horror.

Queen Bee strikes swift and sharp, flying down and paralysing them both with their backs turned, and now their way through is clear.

"Fucking_ A_," Tim breathes.

Queen Bee hovers several feet off the ground on her new silver wings, looking around for a few seconds before she waves them down. Jason and Tim set off with confidence, Fantasmo less so, but his partner is hovering the whole time, ready to catch him if he slips.

"I know these passageways like the back of my hand," Jason says, approaching the fortress walls and beginning to knock on bits of stone. "Spent a lot of time here after I died."

He finds what he's looking for; a piece of the fortress wall moves away. At their astonished looks, Jason grins. "What? It's not all ninja shit here. There's a bit of smoke and mirrors involved too."

He ushers them inside ahead of him and finally squeezes through himself. The League's inner tunnels are slim; almost claustrophobic, but he knows they're underutilised and should be safe to traverse. Besides, the two fucking _children_ he and Tim have with them don't seem to struggle.

Physically, that is. "How do you know they won't find us?" Fantasmo whispers, after a good two minutes spent shifting uneasily from foot to foot.

"I don't, but it's unlikely. It's considered lowly for even the trainee assassins here to sneak around using these walls. If they can't move around unseen in plain sight, it's shameful."

"But you didn't have the same problems, I notice," Tim smirks.

"Use _whatever_ you have at your disposal, my padwan. Talia never did quite grasp the idea of that."

"Surprising."

"Not really. She has her own set of standards, however low they are." Queen Bee snorts derisively, but doesn't say anything. Good. Lord knows the girl never shuts up otherwise. They come to a widened space in the tunnel, a passing spot, that Jason decides to stop them at.

"If I remember right, which I do, you can get out to the main courtyard if you keep going this way," he says when they gather around him. "We should probably decide now what we're -"

"_Shut up_," Tim hisses. He's staring out of the wall grate into the courtyard. "Someone's coming."

They go to join him; it's Marinette and Damian, and they're alone. "Well I'll be damned," Jason says. "Looks like our job just got a hell of a lot easier." Tim shushes him, and Jason represses his usual reaction to being shushed; he wouldn't be helping matters by shanking his brother on the spot.

In the courtyard, Damian slows to a stop. "Are you trying to suggest something?" they hear him ask.

Marinette stops too, and stares at him, wide-eyed. "Oh no. Of course not. No, you go back to your plush little bedroom, little prince, read a book to relax!"

"Is _that_ what this is about?" His eyes have narrowed to slits. "You're throwing a hissy fit because _my bedroom is nicer than yours?"_

"What, that's not a good enough reason? Then lets ask why you still have your Miraculous and I don't!"

"You mean my mother hasn't told you during one of your cosy little talks together?" They're stood nose to nose now. "Maybe you could do an exchange; your Miraculous in return for everything you know about them that you haven't told me!"

She swells with indignance. _"Fuck you."_

_"What did you say to me?"_ Damian hisses, looking fully the part of the demon's grandson.

Marinette is in no way intimidated. "You heard me! _Fuck you_, and fuck your _mother_, and her precious fucking League. You have the _nerve_ to stand there and accuse me, when it's your fault I'm here in the first place!"

He pounces in the blink of an eye, crying, "Plagg, claws out!"

_"Holy fuck,"_ Jason says from beside Queen Bee, who watches in silence, eyes wide.

Lynx Maleun and Marinette are going at each other, and not in the way she and Luka so liked to joke about. They're really trying to hurt each other.

"Merde," Fantasmo says. "Someone has to stop them! Lynx is transformed, he'll kill her!"

"I'm on it," Queen Bee says. She disappears before they can protest.

* * *

Chloe can hear the sounds of fighting through the stone inner walls of the fortress, but she can barely believe them. For all her snipes, all of Luka's insinuations, the suspicions that each member of their team have harboured about Damian, it's undeniable that the couple are well matched. That they would ever fight so ferociously is difficult for her to wrap her mind around.

She reaches the end of the line and carefully looks out into the courtyard, to the fight. Damian has knocked Marinette to the ground and she's straining to hold him off, her fingers locked around his wrists. They're both snarling when Talia al Ghul appears in the flesh and commands her henchmen, who appear from nowhere, to force them apart. Damian throws his captors off the second they drag him back to his feet, glaring at Marinette with such venom it's a wonder she can't feel it. _Chloe_ definitely can.

"That's quite enough of that." Talia's voice, cool, calm, collected, cuts through the tension. "Let them go. They won't attack again, I'm sure. All of you, get on with your work. Marinette, you come with me."

She sweeps from the courtyard as the Leaguers snap to and leave, grumbling and muttering to each other, sending muted glares at the previously fighting duo. As Marinette follows Talia, Damian spits on the ground where she had been stood, breathing like a raging bull, pacing like a caged - well, lynx cat.

Chloe double then triple checks that they're alone before she leaves Jason's hideaway passage and stalks over to him.

"Damian." She takes hold of his arm and leaps back as he whips round to face her.

His eyes go wide behind the mask. "Queen Bee."

_"Lynx Maleun,"_ she sneers. "What the fuck was that? No - No," she continues when he makes to speak. "Never mind. Just follow me. If I can remember my way back through this maze..."

"Maze?" Damian asks, following her after a moments hesitance. "What maze?"

"Where did Marinette go?"

"_Tch._ My mother took her away," he spits. "She's been talking to her a lot. _Privately_."

* * *

"Damian's a different person in Paris," Fantasmo is saying while they wait. Loud One has been gone for a good twenty minutes, and Jason had stressed that at most, she should only be gone for fifteen. "He yields to Marinette much more easily than he does anyone else."

Tim blinks; even without the display they just witnessed he finds it hard to believe. "He - He _does?"_

Loud One finally reappears, her face breaking into an expression of extreme relief. "Red Hood! There you are!"

"Thank you, Queen Bee, I was wondering where I was." As Damian rounds the corner after her, Jason calls, "Look, it's the _King_ of the Dumbasses! All hail the King!"

“Is he injured?” Tim asks, trying to get a closer look.

“No, but I think he’s about to be," Fantasmo says, eyeing Jason's slightly manic smile with concern.

"Damian, what the fuck is going on? Why were you _fighting Marinette?"_ Tim asks, stepping in front of Jason slightly because he looks ready to beat their brother into the ground.

He scowls, which is _something_ familiar. "It's good to see you as well."

"What's with the fancy get-up, _Your Lordship?"_ Jason asks, gesturing to Lynx Maleun's suit.

Rather than answer, he turns his glare on his team mates. "You told them about that?"

"About what?" Tim asks, perking up when he senses a story.

"If you think you're here to rescue us, forget it," Damian snaps. "If you hadn't noticed, my mother left with Marinette."

"We _had_ noticed, dumbass, _thank you_. I'm going to find her," Jason says. "Do you morons think you can keep yourselves out of trouble until I'm back?"

"Well not now that you've said _that_," Loud One says, rolling her eyes. "You jinxed it."

Jason hums, unamused. "I'm going to find Marinette - No,_ I am going_, Damian, not you," he says, when his little brother rears up in protest. "I'd rather not have to clean up whatever she leaves of you if she sees you again. All of you, hold onto your asses. Shit's gonna get _wild_."

* * *

"That was quite the fight out there." In the privacy of her personal quarters, Talia pours two drinks; one for herself and one for Marinette. "What caused it?"

"That's none of your business." Marinette's lips are pursed, her fists clenched. She's looking off to the side and her chest feels tight with repressed emotion. "What do you want, Talia?"

She swirls the wine around her glass, silent for a minute, and eventually she says, "When the Ladybug and the Black Cat Miraculous are combined, they give whoever wields them power over life and death."

"I - They _what?"_

"It makes sense. There's no substantial difference between creation and destruction; two sides of the same coin, and it tells us why Hawkmoth wants control over them. Perhaps he lost somebody."

"Or perhaps _you_ did."

"Excuse me?"

"Your father. Ra's ah Ghul. Is he why you want them?" Talia's look turns decidedly icy but Marinette doesn't give her the chance to speak. "Why were you pretending you didn't know about the Miraculous in front of Damian last night?"

"It was a test," she says.

"And why all the tests?"

"You're dating my son, Marinette, of course I want to test you."

"Like you tested _him_ when he was a child?"

She snorts. "This again. I think we're done here, Marinette, you're clearly in no state of mind for civility. See yourself out."

"Gladly." She slams back the last of her wine, drops the glass onto the table and stalks from the room. She's in a haze of anger, and doesn't notice her surroundings, not until someone snags hold of her and pulls her into the shadows, into a hidden tunnel. She's half-way into kicking their ass before she sees the gleam of a red helmet. "_Red Hood?_ What on Earth are you doing here?"

Damian's brother, glad in his vigilante's uniform, straightens himself up and pats her on the head. "I'm willing to ignore that because I like you. We're here to save you, short stack. Me and Timbo, and your two friends. You know, Ron Weasley and the loud one."

"You mean - You _found them?_ I was worried sick!"

"Everyone's worried about everything these days," he says, beginning to lead her through the back passage he pulled her into. "So come on, lets get out of here."

She stops walking. "Wha- I can't leave yet!"

Jason manages to give her a _Look_ through the helmet. "Hey, you did good, now it's time to split. No need to keep going to prove a point. There are moments in every heroes' life that defines who they are. Where there was darkness, there is now you. Don't let Talia push you into a dumbass decision."

Marinette lets that stew for a minute, before she asks, "Isn't that a line from Rocketman?"

"That's not the point," Jason says in the same wise-owl tone of voice. "The point is that you did good, I've saved you, and now we're leaving."

"We can't though! Talia still has the Miracle Box!" Jason groans. "I'm not leaving this place without it. Listen, we have a plan already! Damian and I, we worked something out." She sighs and scratches at her brow. "We think we know how to get the box back, but we don't know how to get out of here after. If you guys could come up with -"

"Say no more, short stack, you've got it."

"It would really be a great help," she finishes nonetheless, and that makes him smile bemusedly at her, like he can't quite figure her out. In lieu of anything else to do, he hesitates before ruffling her hair.

"You're too good for the Demon you know," he tells her.

She huffs. "Right now I'm inclined to agree."

"So, do the rest of us get to know the details of this great plan?"

She smiles apologetically. "I think it would be best if we didn't tell anyone. That way when we pull it off, Talia might be surprised enough that her shock softens the blow of her response."

"Softens the blow of Talia al Ghul?" Jason shakes his head. "Unlikely. You sure you don't want to tell us anything?"

She rubs her lips together. "Just... We know what we're doing, okay? Remember that. Even if he _is_ an ass..."

"Oh, that's not worrying," he sighs. "Look, kid, just don't go getting yourselves killed."

"Of course we won't! What sort of a rescue plan would that be?"

"The worst ever," he says, and she nods vehemently. "So what do you want us to do, then? We've got your little boyfriend stashed away right now, so you've gotta give me _something_."

"You need to let him go," she says. "We're not done yet. Just find us a way out and be ready on our signal."

"What signal?"

Marinette smiles ruefully. "Believe me, you won't miss it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and reviews are always greatly appreciated!


	17. ii. Headlong, Out Of Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In only a few short hours night will be upon them again, and before the next sun rises on Nanda Parbat, somebody is going to die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our title this time derives from Headlong, by Queen, but my other song of the day is The Light of the Seven, by Ramin Djawadi.
> 
> I'm not sorry.

The summons for another meeting of minds with Talia comes as no surprise late on the next day, and when she arrives, Talia already has two glasses of wine waiting. Marinette takes hers without thinking and begins to drain it.

"What do you want with me now, Talia?"

"Perhaps your argument with Damian upset me. Perhaps it hurt my feelings." Marinette shakes her head and the hand holding the glass tightens its grip on the silver stem. "Perhaps I want to talk about your friends, and what exactly you hope to achieve by hiding their presence here from me."

"I don't know what you're talking -"

"This is my _home_, Marinette. I was born here, raised here. I know its secrets like the palm of my hand. You cannot fool me within its walls. _Enough_."

Cowed temporarily, she drinks her wine. It's a deep, golden red, bursting with flavour against her tongue, and she thinks that when they finally leave these mountains behind them, the wine she might actually miss.

"You fascinate me, Marinette. You display such a sweet exterior to people, and yet you're made of steel. I can see it, whenever I say something you don't like, when you talk about Damian's upbringing. You're an iron lady, Marinette, but you pretend not to be."

"Have you considered that I'm not pretending? That I really am what I seem? I spend so much of my time as Ladybug behind a mask, I don't have the energy to pretend to be something I'm not without it." Marinette drains the last drops of wine, savours it on her tongue, replaces her glass carefully on the table. "I think you've spent so much of your life around people with hidden agendas that when you met me, you were so cynical that it never even occurred to you that I might not have one of my own."

Talia's look reminds her painfully of Damian's; inscrutable. "You are... really quite a disappointment, Marinette." She has something small clasped in her fist that Marinette can't see, and she's turning it over. Somehow, she thinks that she has just lost the privilege to find out what it is. "We're done here," she says at last, her tone final. "See yourself out."

When Marinette stands to leave, she can't shake the feeling that something seismic has just happened. The strange, certain brightness Talia has always looked at her with has finally gone out.

* * *

Talia watches the door close with a soft _snick,_ and sighs. She looks down at the small object in her hand and then walks to her window, opening it out onto the staggering cliffs below. She breathes in the sweet air, allows herself a small smile, and flings the object out to meet its demise against the jagged rocks. When it impacts, it does so without a sound, and Talia closes her window.

In only a few short hours night will be upon them again, and before the next sun rises on Nanda Parbat, somebody is going to die.

* * *

The scent that lets the Hound control people, the mist that overtakes their minds, clings naturally to the black fur that Lila wears about her shoulders, and it goes where she wills it.

Right now, she wills it towards a crowd gathered outside the Louvre. None of them see it coming, for all this city's hysteria about the Hound, and Grimoiselle soon has an army of twenty seven strong. Not enough, but a good start. She sends her pack off to defend Hawkmoth's akuma, the dull old librarian who had been akumatized first months ago, and goes in search of more people to enchant.

She dashes about the city and gathers up a pack of another fifty, some of whom scream when they see her coming, but the screams die as soon as the mist takes them. The akuma alert rings her ears as she turns and heads back to the site of the attack, frowning.

_“AKUMA ALERT. AKUMA ALERT. PLEASE RETREAT TO A SAFE PLACE UNTIL THE THREAT IS NEUTRALISED._”

Akuma alert. She snorts. If Lila gets her way, the city will be making a Hound alert before the week is out. Mayura doesn't care that there's no Sentimonster alert, but Mayura lacks ambition. She cares about Hawkmoth, and it's pathetic to see.

_"Mayura!"_ she calls, smiling widely to the blue skinned woman stood on a rooftop just across from her. Mayura looks up at her and inclines her head. Lila manages not to roll her eyes, but it's a near thing. She instead takes a running leap and joins her side. "I've got a nicely sized pack heading off to defend Grimoiselle. Where's your sentimonster?" She can't help but look around pointedly, because there's no such thing in sight.

Mayura regards her with mild disdain. "I have already sent one off. Grimoiselle has her defending knight."

That's... irritating. Lila doesn't like the idea of Mayura managing to get things done faster than she can, but she consoles herself with the thought that the Hound's job is significantly bigger! She has whole _armies_ to enslave; what Mayura does can best be described as a cheap knock-off of Hawkmoth's akumas.

Yes, the Hound is much more impressive.

"That's great!" she says. "I'm going to head into the streets, see if I can catch any other civilians who haven't made it into a shelter yet."

As she jumps down, Mayura says, "Had you not wasted time talking to me, that wouldn't be -" But the rest of her sentence is lost as Lila drops out of hearing range -_ thank Barkk_ \- and scans the empty streets. She decides there's no one else around and takes off for the site of the attack, because she can see Mayura doing so from the rooftops.

There, up ahead, taking on the swarming army that Lila sent forth, she spies heroes. Viperion and oh, how lovely, Ryuko! And... some other guy, whose suit she doesn't recognise. Still, a smirk stretches her lips as her eyes lock back onto Ryuko, memories of rain and blood rushing back, and she dashes her way.

"Oh _Ryuko!_ It's me! Remember?"

The Dragon wielder's ears pick up on Lila's dulcet tones and she stiffens, turning a degree in Lila's direction, _yes_, before -

One of the Hound's pack members distracts her, and Lila growls, angry that her reunion with the Dragon has been foiled. That would have been a _perfect_ dramatic moment! And that - that _boy_ ruined it. A snarl twists her lips and she orders him away from Ryuko. He has no choice but to obey, and the hero finally turns her attention where it belongs; on Lila.

Ryuko's look is filled with hate, and that's just how Lila likes it. _"Ryuko!"_ she calls as the Dragon advances upon her. "How's the stomach feeling? I know I left you in a bad way the last time we fought, but -" She's cut off as Ryuko swings her fist into her jaw, and Lila goes stumbling back.

The Snake is there then, Viperion, and between them the two heroes looks should be burning Lila alive, but luckily for her, looks cannot kill, and instead, she smirks. "Two against one? I wouldn't call it _fair_, but -"

Viperion hammers in, _punch punch kick, punch kick,_ an elbow to Lila's jaw. She takes the blows because he moves too quickly for her to intercept them, but they don't affect her like the Snake wants them to, and it shows on his face; the frustration when she begins laughing only makes her laugh harder, and when she punches back it's with the speed and strength of a viper, which has to sting.

"Who's the new guy?" she calls over the cacophony of the fight, jolting her thumb over her shoulder at the ripped guy with the killer ass who's taking on Mayura's sentimonster - a literal _knight_, for Barkk's sake - and matching it beat for beat. He isn't even breaking a sweat.

"That's Nightwing." Viperion smirks, despite his bloodied nose. "He's a little above your pay grade, Hound."

She fakes a gasp. "You know my name! Viperion, that's so sweet." Turning her head to Ryuko, she grins. "You'd better watch out, I might steal your man." Ryuko growls and lunges for her again, the actual akuma well past forgotten for the two Parisian heroes. "Where's Ladybug?" she asks, dodging her. "Or Lynx Maleun? Or - you know, the other two. Yellow and orange."

"I don't think that's any of your business," Ryuko says, managing to clip her jaw this time.

Lila winces as she bites down on her tongue, and springs for the rooftops when she tastes blood. Ryuko looks ready to spring after her, but Viperion stops her and they return their attention to the real fight as Grimoiselle calls, _"Grimoire!_ Give me strength!" and an honest-to-god _trebuchet_ appears.

Things only go pear-shaped when Lila first notices Mayura stagger. The blue woman's eyes flutter, her hand goes to her head. Lila begins to frown for the first time, her attention well and truly drawn from the fun down below, and that's when Mayura goes down on one knee.

_Shit_.

Lila looks back to the fight, confirms that the sentimonster is still active - which it is - and heads for the older woman, who isn't moving.

"Mayura?"

She crouches by the woman's side and after a brief moment of hesitation - what if this is a contagious thing? - places a hand on her shoulder. Mayura doesn't respond, and she beginning to sway even though she's already on her knees. Lila knows in that moment that her chance to truly upstage Ryuko is gone, but a chance to upstage _Mayura_ has just delivered itself.

"I'll take you to Hawkmoth!"

Mayura manages to shake her head. "Can't - I can't move that far. I'm not strong enough."

You've got _that_ right, she thinks, while she calls Hawkmoth out to their location. The roof they're rested on is private, so he should have no qualms about coming to fetch his lovely assistant. Lila wipes the sneer from her face when Mayura cracks open her eyes and looks up at her.

"It's my Miraculous," she says. "It's - broken." Her eyes roll back into her head and Mayura doesn't move again.

When Hawkmoth arrives for her, he blanks Lila entirely, just scoops his assistant up and carries her off. Doesn't even bother to look out on the fight, at the pack she amassed for him. Still, Lila prefers to think that the fight ends in a stalemate, because before Mayura collapsed they were undeniably winning. The thought makes her smile. Paris will be hers soon enough, one way or another. But for the moment, there are more pressing matters.

Like the fact that Mayura's dying, apparently.

"Don't you think I should have known that?" she asks, shut up in Gabriel Agreste's office following the attack. "I'm out there working, fighting for _you_, with a defective team mate?" She scoffs and shakes her head. _"I don't think so."_

Gabriel casts her a severe look. "Careful, girl. I enjoy you, but don't forget who gave you that Miraculous. _Don't forget who made you what you are."_

Lila clenches her jaw and looks away. "Will Nathalie be okay?"

"Do you honestly care?" he asks, sounding incredibly uncaring himself.

_Honestly?_ No. But her plan for the day isn't to make an enemy of her benefactor, so she finds herself saying, "Of course!" before she even knows it. "I like Nathalie a lot!" Okay, maybe _that's_ pushing it.

Gabriel's look tells her that he agrees. "Ladybug never showed up this time, did she? Nor any of her motley crew. Just Ryuko, Viperion, and _Nightwing_." He says this last name disparagingly. "Where are the others?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"You're going to find out for me. Go." Gabriel turns to his computer, indicating without room for argument that their meeting is over.

Lila stares at him for a few long seconds, in which he never once indicates that she even exists, and a childish anger rises in her chest. Gabriel is the wrong person to release it on though, so she manages not to - _just_ \- and stalks for the door, a tempest bubbling beneath her skin.

* * *

Before any akumas attacked that day, they had been crammed into Luka's studio when Kagami, browsing through her phone at Adrien's side, sucked in a sharp breath and straightened up in her seat. Luka, humming an experimental tune as he plucked at his guitar strings, had raised a brow in silent question.

"I forgot the time," she said, adding to Adrien and Nino, who sat playing with the sound mixers, "We're supposed to be somewhere. Sorry."

"Shit," Luka muttered, stowing his guitar away and giving the two younger boys an apologetic smile. "We've gotta split."

A funny feeling had been niggling at the back of Adrien's mind for days, persisting as Nino said, "Fair enough. Thanks for letting us hang here anyway."

"Of course," Kagami said, standing from the old leather sofa and zipping up her one-of-a-kind _Marinette_ puffer jacket. "You're welcome any time."

But she had sounded like she was trying to rush them out, and Adrien's funny feeling intensified, so when they left he made his excuses to Nino and followed them, all the way to a non-descript apartment block. They vanished from sight, into the apartments, and he had stood and watched, waiting.

They still hadn't come out in the minutes prior to Grimoiselle's return, and so Adrien had entered the block himself. He had looked at the list of inhabitants, and froze when he came across one name in particular.

Elise Bisset.

_Elise Bisset._

Adrien's head had spun and he broke for the exit. There wasn't enough air going into his lungs, so he took a bench for himself and lay back across it, trying to get his body back under his control. He grit his teeth. He opened his eyes.

The sky above was cold and blue, cloudless and peaceful. Not a bird, not a plane, anywhere in sight. He took in a slow breath, and drifted.

Kagami and Luka are still in that apartment block now, and there is no reason to believe that it's not coincidence, but the suspicion he has been harbouring since the Hound's first appearance makes him think otherwise.

_“AKUMA ALERT. AKUMA ALERT. PLEASE RETREAT TO A SAFE PLACE UNTIL THE THREAT IS NEUTRALISED._”

Adrien bolts upright. He looks to Elise's apartment block.

Viperion and Ryuko take mere seconds to appear, running with the kind of purpose that he used to move with himself. He thinks again about Kagami's injuries and then about the ones Ryuko was reported to have sustained, and Adrien isn't stupid.

Distant screams from this new attack make him shudder and sweat, and he makes the split-second decision to break for the apartments. In through the front door, he looks for Elise's name on the housing chart and starts up the stairs, up and up...

By the time he reaches her floor he is shaking uncontrollably but it's too late to turn back. He knocks on the door. A few seconds pass.

The door opens.

Elise Bisset is on the other side.

She's holding onto the door and wearing a smile. A thin smile, but a smile all the same. When she sees that it is not her hero friends knocking, but some strange blond teenager who she doesn't know, her smile takes on a confused edge.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

Maybe. Perhaps she can help him remember how to _speak_, because he's stood on her doorstep, staring at her, _gaping_ at her, but no words are coming.

"I'm sorry," he tries and fails to say. Sorry, for intruding once more on her life when she deserves to be left alone. It's like he's being strangled, the phantom hands of Mourning Star's memory reaching out to him from the past, clamping themselves around his warm, living throat and making it cold.

Elise's smile fractures. "I'm sorry?"

He tries again to say it, but strangled noises come out in place of words. Elise looks worried now, and _he_ did that to her. Tears blur his vision, his heart hammers faster, and he stumbles back into the wall and then, stumbling further, takes off for the stairs.

Elise's calling voice chases him, Mourning Star's ghost hot on her heels.

* * *

The stars are out in full force tonight, shining over Nanda Parbat with dazzling clarity. In Paris they're never so clear, though the ones that shine upon her now would still shine upon her were she at home.

_Home_. The word makes her want to cry.

"Hello," she calls quietly, testing to see how her voice echoes, but despite appearances the mountains don't provide the best acoustics. She supposes that a super secret league of assassins might not build their base anywhere likely to _echo_.

The desperate loneliness of her situation is beginning to wear her down. That she can't even turn to Tikki for solace is painful, especially so tonight, when Marinette knows that something is wrong. The night air hangs around her shoulders heavier than usual. She looks out at the surrounding mountains, aware for every second that she spends out on this observation deck that at least two assassins are to her back, making sure she doesn't do anything she isn't supposed to.

Nanda Parbat really is one of the most beautiful places she has ever seen. Dark, deep, foreboding, but beautiful, in its own chilling sort of way.

She sighs shakily, and the breeze carries it away into the night. With one last, long look, Marinette turns back, into the well-lit corridors of the fortress. It's not warm inside but she likes to imagine that it is as she hugs herself. She _knows_ something is wrong. It's only a waiting game to find out exactly _what_.

The thump of her own mortality is beginning to sound in her ears.

* * *

Damian manages to walk straight into his mother's rooms; since the incident in the courtyard yesterday his guards have followed him less intensely and the sole man to follow him tonight had stopped sharp when Damian told him to stay put. He saw Chloe and Nathaniel in the courtyard, or at least he _thinks_ he did, when he was passing by on his way. There's a chance that Fantasmo was exerting his powers to keep them hidden. That, or Damian is just beginning to go crazy. He advanced into his mother's rooms, decorated similarly to his, alone.

The fucking bedrooms. His jaw clenches; for the last few days, every thought of Marinette has been tinged with anger and he tries generally to avoid doing it. Their fight the day previous though...

_"Fuck you, and fuck your mother."_

By the look in her eyes as she hurled her insults, she could have killed him, and he should have known this would happen. His mother manages to taint everything dear to him.

Now he stands mere feet away from her dressing table, upon which lies the Miracle Box. Damian looks at it, but doesn't take it immediately. He approaches slowly, his hands hover over the lid. When his mouth goes dry, he swallows. His fingers bend, grasping thin air, before he takes the lid and gently lifts it up.

Yin and Yang stare back at him, along with a pair of earrings. A tiny puff of air hits his neck as Plagg peeks out.

"Phew. I was worried that they'd be gone," the kwami says. "Check the other compartments."

He does. The box is half-empty of course, but what worries him is the one missing Miraculous that he can't account for.

"The Dog is gone."

"I _thought_ I could feel it, but I wasn't sure if it was just a side effect of Camembert withdrawal," Plagg says, his claws digging pointedly into Damian's neck for a moment. "It's _active _somewhere. Oh, what the fuck..."

"Where?" Damian asks.

Plagg screws up his tiny face. "It's - Not here, I know that much. Without Tikki's help I can't pinpoint Barkk _exactly_, but I know he's not here."

The tightness coiling in his chest relaxes a fraction. "Good. That's good."

He closes the lid, but his hands remain hovering over the box, inching down towards it, slowly, nice and easy -

"Why the sneaking, Damian? This is your home as well as mine."

His sweat turns cold on his brow and he gives no indication of having heard her speak, but he knows now that there is no way he can get the box out of here. Every escape has just been closed. She is going to get her way after all, and all of his anger has been for naught.

Talia stands in the doorway, and the door is shut firm behind her.

There's a smile in her voice when she says, "Before you do something utterly foolish, there's something about Marinette that you should probably know."

* * *

An hour later darkness has fallen and Marinette, restless, paces out in the hall. The lamps glow; she stops and watches the flames in the one closest to her jump and flicker and dance.

Her restlessness surges higher still and she crosses over to look out at the courtyard, empty since night first fell. For once all of the lamps down there are out, and she doesn't know why it scares her but it does. There are _always_ people in the courtyard, training after dark, but not now. Not tonight.

Her throat tightens.

She rests her hands on the wooden fencing then grips it, feels it beneath the skin of her palms, concentrates on it. She tries to breathe.

_"The akuma's at -"_

_"The hospital,"_ Chat had said. _"I know."_

She knows all at once what this feeling of dread is, and when she last felt it.

There's no one down there, or no one that she can see. The people here can turn themselves into shadows. It's naive of her to think that she has ever, once, really been alone. There were probably people listening in for every second of she and Damian's planing.

A shadow down below shuffles and stumbles. Marinette's eyes narrow.

Something wills her to go down there and she does, flying down the stairs, in amidst the shadows. She stares around wildly but sees no one, then looks to the place where the shadows had apparently _fallen over_. They remain still now that she's down there, but as she turns to leave, someone _pssts_ her. She turns back.

_"Marinette."_

Is - Is that... Her eyes bug out of her head.

_"Chloe?"_ she hisses, stepping closer to the source of the noise. "Where are you?"

"Right in front of you," she replies. "Fantasmo's hiding us."

"You need to leave," Marinette says. "It's not safe being here."

"Of course we're leaving," Chloe scoffs. For a moment she feels herself relax, before Chloe continues to say, "So come on, just follow my voice."

She tenses again. _"What?_ Didn't Red Hood tell you? You need to wait for our signal."

"We _have_ been waiting, but we can't do that forever -"

"Well do it for a bit longer! Get out of here, now, both of you!"

All at once Nathaniel's cloaking vanishes and Chloe is stood before her in full Queen Bee garb, glaring up a storm. "We're not going _anywhere_, Dupain-Cheng. _You're_ coming with _us."_ Nathaniel, holding his flute uncertainly in his hands, nods but doesn't speak.

"I can't go with you -"

"Bullshit. You can and you _are."_

There's no real reason to feel panic, but she does and it's mounting -

_"AKUMA ALERT. AKUMA -"_

What if they're caught out here? What if Chloe and Nathaniel are killed? Is Talia watching them now?

_Of course she is, she always is._

"They already know that you're here," she says. "They can probably see you both right now."

_"- PLEASE RETREAT TO A SAFE PLACE -"_

_"Does it matter?"_ Chloe asks. "The Robins managed to get hold of a helicopter, and we need to leave on it before any Leaguers find the ones Red Hood killed to get it."

"The ones he _what?"_

_"This is my home, Marinette."_

Talia's home. Her domain, and Marinette is just a mouse trapped within its thick stone walls and looming mountains. Every shadow watches her, and every shadow might really be an assassin, waiting -

_"- UNTIL THE THREAT IS NEUTRALISED."_

_"Come on,"_ Chloe urges. "Who cares if they have the box? At least you'll be alive!" Nathaniel nods vehemently, but Marinette still shakes her head, which is beginning to spin.

"What about Damian?"

"He's Talia's _son_, they won't hurt him," she says. "It's you who needs to be worried." Spots appear in Marinette's field of vision and she shakes them away. "What if they've won him back to their side? That fight you two had yesterday was _nasty."_

"The fight wasn't _real! _We staged it to get the box back. Damian's up there right now going after it, which he can only do because he managed to worm his way back into Talia's trust, do you see?"

"Is that him?" Nathaniel asks, looking into the distance. Through one of the windows she seems a familiar silhouette stalk past... but Talia's is not far behind. "She knows he's coming."

"I told you, she knows that you're here! _Both of you, go!"_

_"Not without you,"_ Chloe snarls.

The first she saw of Mourning Star had been the glow of her eyes, but it's the glow of the lamplight she sees now. All of a sudden Marinette wants to run - _But run where?_

Her blood thumps sluggishly through her veins, how is it that she never noticed before? Every shadow is sinister, they're watched from every angle, there's nowhere to hide -

Damian stalks into the courtyard from the archway to Marinette's back, silent, a shadow, as Lynx Maleun is meant to be. His obsidian mask gleams at her, his hand is clenched into a fist.

"What's going on?" Nathaniel asks.

Marinette turns fully to face him. "Damian?" Seeing his empty hands she knows, in a moment of stark clarity, what is about to happen. His fist snaps open. "Damian, where's the box?"

_"Cataclysm."_

And it happens fast.

Dark energy gathers from the ring on his hand -

Assassins melt out of the shadows and take hold of Chloe and Nathaniel -

From the archway, Talia smirks out at her -

Marinette, a sole tear slipping down her cheek, starts to say, "Until the end," when -

His hand slams into her stomach.

Her ribs shatter, her organs liquefy. She can feel herself falling to dust, and the world disappears as her eyes fall to ash. The last words she tries to speak slur into each other as her tongue dissolves, and she can _taste it, _her own _tongue_, before -

* * *

Chloe is screaming and thrashing, Nathaniel has gone limp. Damian stares at the ashes of his girlfriend until his mother's fingers go to his chin and tilt his head up. Their eyes meet, and hers are smiling.

"My son," she says, "you have done well. Your grandfather would be proud."

Chloe screams more and calls Damian something he doesn't care to repeat.

"Thank you, mother," he says.

Part of Marinette blows away on the wind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The author, who is currently checked into an author's protection program, cherishes your comments and kudos <3


	18. ii. Never Had A Heart Of Your Own

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Head of the Demon stalks the halls of the League of Assassins now, and few dare say a word against him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Queen owns our title again today, with the lyric deriving from Death On Two Legs (Dedicated To...).

Damian's mood is foul again today, Tim thinks, as it has been every day since it happened.

Thoughts of the terrible thing he has done must have kept him awake all night, or else somebody said something to befoul his barely-good graces. While Talia has grown almost complacent in the wake of her victory, Damian has only wound himself up tighter and tighter, like a coil in a hydraulic press. One word spoken out of place, an ill-placed smirk or jape, could make it snap, and so the previously jubilant Leaguers have learnt to keep their mouths shut around him. After Damian dislocated the jaw of Ubu's favourite guardsman, the laughter died a death and by now the Leaguers are as tense around him as they rightly should be. The Head of the Demon stalks the halls of the League of Assassins now, and few dare say a word against him.

Talia does, though that is to be expected, and ever since the Dislocation Incident, Ubu has stopped pretending to feel anything but disdain for the young lord, which is what he has taken to calling him.

"The _young lord_ wishes to know what his mother's plans for tonight are," he says, a sneer in his voice as he speaks to the guards outside their cell. Tim stiffens but keeps his eyes shut, feigning sleep, which isn't hard; he and Jason had been knocked about pretty badly after the kids went full Galaxy Brain and sneaked away on their ill-fated mission to jailbreak Marinette. Sleep is a welcome respite to the low thrum of pain that still lances through him with every individual movement.

"He does?" The guard chuckles. "Isn't that nice for him. Me, I want to live in a mansion, with my father's head stuffed and mounted on the wall and Talia al Ghul warming my bed. It's a shame we do not all get what we want in life."

Ubu snorts. "But nonetheless, we cannot risk being heard by the_ young lord_. We will tell him about the ceremony, I think, but no more than that."

"We won't tell him of what we mean to do to his companions?" the guard asks.

"And spoil the surprise?" Ubu chuckles. "The look on the brat's face will make my year." As his footfalls grow fainter, Tim dares crack open his eyes a smidge. Jason stares back at him though half-lids, and he knows they're thinking the same thing; _what ceremony?_

Chloe is not long to wake after that, and Nathaniel follows her in that as he seems to in every other way. The duo really are in sync, he thinks, as they both push themselves into sitting positions.

When Chloe realises that their problem hasn't solved itself while she slumbered, the first words out of her mouth are, "We have been trapped here for a week! A _ week!_ Seven days!"

Tim sighs. "I know what a week is, Chloe." She's been complaining for the entirety of that week too, though he thinks he would rather hear her complain than listen to her sob and irrationally cry out for Ladybug, her hero, as she had done at first.

Surely they were missing something. They had to be. Damian wouldn't -

He wouldn't have betrayed them. _But he did. _No. No, they are simply missing pieces of the puzzle. The alternative is too much for him to bear.

Nathaniel, on the other hand, is quiet. Tim thinks he's still in shock, as he has been ever since Marinette was first -

He sucks in a slow breath and refuses to say it. While Chloe had fought against her captors, injured them, broken one's teeth when he took her comb, Nathaniel had comparatively appeared like a rag doll. Unresponsive, muted, pliable. When his Miraculous had been taken away and Fantasmo vanished to reveal the boy behind the mask, Tim had barely believed it. Such a powerful mind, in such a young body. Not that it mattered now.

He clears his throat and nudges the redhead with the toe of his shoe. "Hey, Nath. You okay buddy?" No answer. Not even a blink.

"How do you think he is?" Chloe snarls. "If I ever see that fucking traitor again, I'll take him apart with my bare hands."

"Easy princess," Jason says. He's the only one on his feet, and looking desperately like he needs a cigarette as he stands at the entrance to their prison. "I might want him dead right now but he'll still my brother." His leg is bouncing; one of Jason's tells. Tim is pretty glad that he can't see into his brother's head right now. _Either_ of his brothers, come to think of it.

He remembers the screaming, he remembers -

He remembers far too much. Tim closes his eyes and wills away the invasive thoughts for just a minute, in which he could maybe think clearly.

"I said this would happen," Chloe says, voice thick with some unidentified emotion. "We all told her, if you involve _him_ in this, his assassin family might come looking for a slice of the pie."

"There's something we're all missing," Tim says. "It _can't_ be so simple. Damian despises the League. He has done for years."

"So they changed his mind," she says. "Showered him with affections and honours, made him think that going back to their side wouldn't be so bad. He'd better hope he never sees me again."

Jason huffs an unamused laugh. "Well, they sure showed him, huh? I wonder how long they waited after we were captured to take the Cat Miraculous away."

"He's not worthy of the Cat," Chloe says. "I bet Plagg rejected him."

The guard stood outside peers in, a glare on his thin, weasel face. "Quiet, girl. I do not want to spend the rest of my days listening to your whining."

"You make one move to hurt these kids, and I'll make sure you don't hear anything ever again," Jason warns.

"Big talk, for a man locked up," he says. "How do you plan to reach me?"

"The second you open this door I'll reach you. Make a move on either of these kids, and you getting to fuck Talia al Ghul's going to be the last thing on your mind."

Weasel Face's eyes narrow. "You overheard."

"That's right, so tell me; what ceremony's coming up tonight?"

"Is it a party?" Tim adds. "Are we invited? I didn't bring a suit, so I hope there's no dress code."

The guard lurches his hands through the bars of the door, reaching for Jason, who instead grabs onto him and pulls him up sharp against the iron bars separating them.

"What's going to happen tonight?"

"A celebration," the guard says, wrestling desperately against Jason's vice grip. "_Let me_ \- Talia has invited associates of the League from all over the world to come and see the - the box. Let me go!" But Jason's hold doesn't slacken.

_"What's going on here?"_ Now it does. The voice has Tim reeling, and when Damian steps into his line of vision, he shoots them a disdainful look. "Release the guard." Jason does, but doesn't look away from his little brother. His Miraculous may have been stripped away, but he dresses now like a prince, like the grandson of the Demon. "I asked you a question," he says, his already sharp tone taking on a dangerous edge.

"He - He attacked me," Weasel Face wheezes to his young lord, who doesn't seem very impressed.

"When he was behind a prison door and you have a knife strapped to your side? He should have killed you."

Weasel Face gapes. "How was I supposed to - They're just prisoners!"

"They may have been overwhelmed when it was just the two of them against a hundred of the League's forces," Damian says, "but they would have absolutely no trouble killing _you_. Unless you want that to happen, you won't let yourself near them again."

"Bit early for you to be up and about, isn't it?" Jason asks, feigning levity as he holds back Chloe, trying to fight her way past the brothers. "Don't you have some peeled grapes to eat?"

"As mature as ever, Todd." Damian's gaze is cold, and he tries to see past them when he notices the disturbance. "Is Bourgeois in there with you? And Kurtzburg?"

_"I'll kill you!"_ Chloe shrieks. "If you take _one_ step closer -"

"I don't plan to. Talk big all you want, you're not going to get close enough to touch me."

"Have they told you yet?" Jason asks.

"About what?"

"There's going to be a real big party up in here tonight. You'd better watch your drink; someone might try to slip you something."

Damian's already hollow eyes darken further and he growls, "I should let them kill you."

"Then why haven't you?" Jason challenges, and Tim wishes he wouldn't.

"You weren't supposed to be here," Damian hisses, almost to himself, and then his jaw clenches and he stalks away from them, down the hall, out of sight with Jason's taunting calls chasing him the whole way.

"What does that mean?" Tim muses.

Weasel Face raps the bars of the cell with his knife, forcing Jason back. He keeps his distance now though, Tim notices. "You don't speak to the young lord like that."

"Does he like it when you call him 'young lord'?" Tim asks knowingly. "Or are you careful not to when he's around?" Weasel Face sneers, but finally backs off, and the room sinks into silence once more.

* * *

In the hours before the ceremony is due to begin, Talia walks with her son through the halls of the League. She deliberately chooses the ones she knows will be empty, as she always does when she speaks of Ra's al Ghul.

"Your grandfather coveted the Miraculous for centuries, Damian. In the time before the Guardian Temple's destruction he visited there many times to speak with their council, convince them that they should join their forces to the League. They denied him of course, each time. Afraid, apparently, that he would abuse the Miraculous' power to make himself a god." A sneer curls her lips. "They were arrogant little men, from what father told me, but all their pomp and self-righteousness didn't save them when their own students revolted. And what happened to Ra's? He became a god anyway, while the Guardians turned to ash and bone." She seems to remember that he is there then, and turns to him with a smile. "Even so, Damian, he would have been so proud to finally see the Miracle Box in our hands."

"It's strange being here without having him around."

Talia smooths his hair back and he freezes beneath her hand, but she expects this. "I know. It seems not a day since Slade took him from us, at times. But you are here now. You can become like him, and fill the void he has left behind." Damian doesn't reply, and she doesn't expect one. "Come, we should oversee preparations for tonight. A lot of people have traveled a long way to see the Miraculous for themselves."

He follows without complaint, almost listless when it is just the two of them, but as they enter the League's main hall and suddenly they are no longer alone, his spine straightens, his chin lifts, he walks like a lord. It's an automatic response, and it makes Talia smile. Her smile widens when he spies his friends at the end of the hall and stops walking.

"What are _they_ doing here?"****

Talia doesn't stop; she is heading straight for them. "I'm glad you asked."

That's when they see Damian. Chloe's fight has left finally fled and she manages nothing stronger than a glare and a muttered curse. He can't make out what she said (he wishes that he could) but the Leaguer with the rodent-like face jabs her in the back and hisses a threat, and she settles, looking no happier. He wouldn't expect her to. Want her to.

"As you know, we're having a gathering here tonight," Talia says. "The people coming will expect a show, and the box, impressive though it is, simply won't suffice alone. So, I've brought your friends, and Bruce's two fascinations, and we're going to demonstrate the Miraculous' power by killing all four of them."

"I thought you said -"

"I _know_ what I said that night, Damian. Listen to what I'm saying now. You've proven your worth once, what's another four times?" When he stays silent, she adds, "You'll even be getting your Miraculous back, for a time," as if to sweeten the pot. He manages a stiff nod, but his eyes are on his brothers, who are presumably being kept compliant via threats of violence towards Chloe and Nathaniel.

"I want -" He breaks off and takes a breath, then closes the gap between himself and his old companions. Chloe glares with enough venom to fell a giant, but is kept quiet by the rodent's knife pressing to the back of her neck. He tries to think of something to say to them -

"She vouched for you." Damian startles, then looks at Nathaniel. His voice is gone croaky from disuse, but his stare is unwavering and pierces Damian's soul. "When the rest of us weren't sure whether we could trust you, she did." No need to wonder who 'she' was.

His mother approaches from behind and calls, "Jason Todd. It's been a long time since you were last here."

"That it has, Talia," he says. "Thank you, by the way, for citing me as one of Bruce's 'fascinations'. I don't honestly think he finds me all that interesting."

She laughs, despite the hate in his voice and in his eyes. "Then Bruce is a fool, but we already knew that, didn't we? And Timothy Drake. How's the caffeine addiction?"

"Well, the lack of coffee in this place might be its worst quality," he says. "You know, aside from the fact that _you_ live here." Ubu whacks Tim around the head as Talia laughs again, cruel eyes glittering.

"Oh, boys, I wish I could stay here and talk to you all day, but I'm a busy woman. Damian? Come." She turns to leave the hall behind, and Damian goes to follow, before Jason catches his arm in a vice grip, holding him still.

"If something more is going on here, you can tell me and I'll try to help you," he says lowly.

Damian wrenches himself free. "Keep your hands off me."

"Have they told you anything more about the ceremony yet? You know, any hints for us suckers? What we might expect?"

He actually looks for a moment like he might say something useful. Instead, he says, "Don't speak to me," and stalks away before they can respond.

They don't see him again before the doors to the hall open and they hear the sounds of rushing as it fills up with spectators, all waiting to see the box that their families had spent centuries fighting for. The look on Chloe's face is plain; on the other side of that door is a room filled with enemies. They will find no salvation there, but it is where they are destined for nonetheless.

They have, since talking to Talia, found out that it is where they are to die later, to be honest, but neither Robin is prepared to break the news to Chloe and Nathaniel, who both still live in hope of rescue in some form, even if Chloe pretends otherwise.

* * *

Night falls on Nanda Parbat and all the villains of the underworld gather beneath one roof to see the legendary Miracle Box and the treasures it cradles.

A hush takes the cram-packed building as the double doors at the end of the hall open and Talia strides forth, her son, Damian Wayne, at her side. They are a sight to behold together, and the reverence many of the rooms' occupants exude is very real. The mother and son take their place at the head of the dais, and a hush falls.

"Friends. Welcomed guests. I thank you all for being here tonight." A murmur ripples around the room, intensifying when Talia produces the Miracle Box and lays it atop a fine podium for all to see. Damian, at her side, stares at it. "Each of you here knows what this box is. Most of you have ancestors who coveted it, perhaps even worshiped it." Some of them are nodding along. "The Miracle Box needs no introduction to anyone here tonight. My own son," and she places a hand on his shoulder, "was the one to infiltrate the base of the old man who stole it away all those centuries ago." Sounds of admiration increase. "And now here it is, where it belonged all along.

"To demonstrate to you the sheer power of the Miraculous, my son will don his own, the Black Cat..." A door behind them opens and the struggling captives are brought out. Excited talking takes the hall and Talia waits patiently for them to settle. "And he will kill each of my captives. Two of the current wielders..." Jeering and laughter ripples through the crowd. "And two of Batman's Robins." The room explodes with noise, people shouting over each other, hollering. In places there's pushing and shoving.

Damian knows that he is not to wear the ring until told to, as Talia isn't yet done bragging, but he is staring down at it.

_"It has been a long road," _she says loudly, "and a longer wait, yet here we are. With the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous, we will soon claim the last Miraculous left in Paris, and then each of them will be ours."

As the crowd goes wild, Talia looks at the damned four, who wear matching looks of defiance.

"You _really_ think he's going to kill us?" the blonde, loud one asks, daring to _sneer_ at her.

Talia's lips thin. "Yes, in the same way that he _really_ killed your dear sweet Marinette."

"What did you do?" Tim asks, finally out of patience as he sees his time draining away like sand in an hourglass. "What did you say that made him do what he did?"

"You can't even _say it? _Yes, I convinced him to kill Marinette. I made him an offer he couldn't refuse."

Jason scoffs, but it's one of complete disbelief. "You _forced_ him?"

"Not at all. I gave him a choice, and he made the correct one."

"You really _are_ a monster, Talia," Tim says.

"Yes," she agrees. "It's why I'm still alive."

Damian will not meet anyone's eyes, but he can feel their gazes on him. Even Chloe is beginning to look less hostile, and he can't face her pity, or anyone else's. Won't.

* * *

_"There's something about Marinette that you should probably know."_

Damian's eyes flit about in his sockets, looking for something. An escape, an answer, anything that will take him out of this situation, irregardless of how useless it is. Finally, resigned to his fate, he gives up and looks back at Talia.

"So tell me."

A slow smile takes to her face. "Every day while she has been here, I have invited her to drink with me. She's too used to kowtowing to niceties to say no, and so every day we have sat in here together, and I have poured her a glass of wine, and she has drunk all of it." Damian still hasn't caught on. "The wine was waiting for her when she arrived today, and she has grown so used to taking her drinks from me that she never stopped to think about it. As a result, she isn't long for this Earth, Damian."

He's trying to work it out, she can see. "You're lying."

"Look me in the eyes and see that I'm not." Her hand takes his chin and forces him to do just that, so he looks. He sees. He can never quite tell when she's lying to him, but he can always tell when she is being honest. He knows that look, rare as it is. He's seeing it now.

"You've poisoned her," he breathes, eyes glittering.

She releases him and he steps back from her. "I'm sure Marinette would prefer to die in a way more befitting of the Ladybug, but I think _this_ is a more fitting end. The kind you cannot magic away."

"What did you use?"

"It's native to these mountains. We call it The Long Goodbye." He recognises the name. When he was a child, there was a game his mother used to play with traitors involving such a poison... "By now she should be experiencing mild paranoia, a tightness of the chest, spots in her vision, but that's only the beginning."

"Where's the antidote, mother?" Damian asks, thinking of two slim bottles filled with poison, and of the one bottle she kept containing its relief, all locked away in the same cabinet where she kept her wines. "Please, just tell me."

It's thrown out the window, she thinks, dried up against the rocks, but she doesn't say that. "My son, it lies with you." Damian's eyes narrow, but all Talia does is walk up to her son and place her hand to his chest, ignoring how his hands twitch to wrap around her throat as she grows close. "There is no antidote, and I have closed off the Lazarus Pit."

"I'll force my way through to it."

"No you won't. Move against me now, and I'll kill all of them." When he frowns, she elaborates. "Your father's two distractions, the other Miraculous wielders that you dragged along here, and then I'll kill you, and Marinette will still die." Damian is beginning to tremble, but not with fear. With rage. "I have tried to teach you that in life, we must all make difficult choices." She moves her hand down to his; specifically, the one on which he wears his ring. "And so here is your choice; allow your beloved to die a slow, drawn out death..." Her fingers come to clasp around his. "Or finish it quickly yourself."

"You're sick," he says. "This is _sick."_

"Be like your grandfather. Be decisive. Take the strongest course of action that you can."

So he stops and thinks; he thinks about Marinette. He thinks about the poison coursing through her system. He thinks about the last thing they ever truly fought over.

"Plagg," he croaks at last, "claws out."

* * *

Everything that happened after that sticks in his mind as much as he rejects it. It doesn't seem like it could be real, but he knows that it is and he knows what he did.

"I had to assess whether I could bring her around to my way of thinking, or if she was going to become an irresolvable problem for me, and I came to the conclusion that she was." She faces Damian again, and her face is hard. "You _know_ what I do to problems, Damian. But what's done is done. I need to know whether you're going to become a problem as well."

He shakes his head. "You have me, mother." His hand, unseen, closes into a fist.

"Good." She smiles, and then continues explaining to his brothers, "Breaking somebody like my son isn't a matter of ferocity. It's one of persistence. Had I left him alone after he killed Marinette he may still have risen up against me. I instead spent a week making sure he would never do that."

"Yes," Damian agrees. "You did." Spent a week bringing him to heel, turning him into someone she believed would never act against her. Talia looks back at him, her gaze assessing. Over her shoulder he sees Drake and Todd both watching him just as closely; Drake looks like he is trying not to smile. "A week spent watching me, following my movements. If only you could see inside my head as well."

It is only when he forces the Ladybug Miraculous in place on his earlobes that Talia sees the Cat Miraculous is back in pride of place on his ring finger, and for the first time, he recognises fear snap into those cold eyes of hers. _Good_. He wants her to feel fear. Two kwamis now stare up at him solemnly, waiting.

"Damian -"

"You should never have pushed me, mother." The thunder in his voice silences the world. "Plagg, Tikki, _unite!" _

A great, all-powerful light consumes them, blinding and terrible. It stretches on forever and rings their eardrums until their ears bleed. Finally the light shrinks back to where it shines only from the sockets where Damian's eyes used to be, and his presence is _suffocating_, hard to breathe in. It overwhelms each of their senses, brings some to their knees. The thing before them looks like Damian Wayne, dresses like Lynx Maleun. Were it not for the red replacing the green, and silver the gold, they could believe it _was_ him.

When he speaks, his voice refracts like a thousand shards of glass. "You said grandfather was a god. Well you were wrong." And then they _feel_ it; the moment when time itself cracks in two, and the universe begins to shift. _"I am a god."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm curious to know, how many of you found this story from Tumblr, and how many from browsing the tags on Ao3? I'm not asking for any real reason, I just wondered.


	19. ii. Run Like Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian Wayne stands over them, a vengeful god.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's back to Pink Floyd for our title today, one of the best songs on The Wall; Run Like Hell.

"He killed you. He actually _killed_ you. Yes, under your orders, but still... There has to be a bit of a sting in there somewhere."

"Of course there isn't!" Marinette says, rearing up defensively.

"But he _killed you._ You forget that I have inhabited you for years now. I have seen everything that you have, felt everything that you have, even if I am not capable of understanding it all. You've gone all these months thinking your bond is solid, and yet at the first major hurdle, it ended in failure."

"It has not ended in failure!"

"It has ended with the Miracle Box, _my earrings_, in the hands of our enemy. With you _here!"_

"Where is 'here', by the way?" she asks, finally looking around the black non-space where she has found herself.

The Ladybug - not Ladybug, the superhero, no, _The Ladybug_ \- clasps her hands together. "You're in a special place, one of my own making. I'm keeping your soul safe."

"You're... hanging on to me? Why?"

"As Ladybug, you saved many people. As _The_ Ladybug, it is now my job to save you." She smiles at Marinette for the first time, and it makes her cringe. There's something otherworldly about The Ladybug, something alien, and that she wears Marinette's face only makes it more uncanny.

"Why do you look like me?" The Ladybug has her hair down and her eyes are two black pits as opposed to Marinette's own baby blues, but apart from that...

"I told you, I'm inhabiting you at the moment. Who else am I going to look like? If it's not this I'm a non-corporeal entity, give me a break."

She doesn't know how to respond to that, so she doesn't bother to try. She's still turned about by everything that lead to her being here in the first place.

"I told him," she begins slowly, "that if the worst happened, the only thing he needed to do was get the box back and take it to safety. Forget about me, I said. Kill me, if you have to. If it's the price you need to pay to win Talia's trust, just make it quick. we fought over it. The first real fight we've ever had, actually."

"He didn't want to do it?" At Marinette's harsh look, The Ladybug shrugs. "Life and death is a game we play, it has no serious bearing."

"It's different for humans. It's _permanent."_

"But surely he _knows_ that to us, death can be fluid. Your Snake died, and then he came back. You _brought_ him back."

_"Luka?_ But - But that was different! He was the victim of an attack, not even transformed - He doesn't even _remember_ -"

"But he _was_ the Snake at the time, wasn't he?"

Marinette blinks. "I - Well yes, he _was_..."

The Ladybug smiles again, so uncanny that she almost hurts to look at. "Then I guarantee that he does remember. Wielders always do."

Shock would take her from her feet if she could fall in this void. "He _doesn't_ remember dying!" she cries. "He can't."

Completely detached from the source of Marinette's horror, The Ladybug says, "Don't worry. I'm sure he concealed the truth for a good reason."

"He - He doesn't remember dying," Marinette says again, weakly.

"Yes he does, and you will too."

"I... will?" But that implied -

"Some people believe that one soul must be exchanged for another," The Ladybug says suddenly, and Marinette is still trying to figure out what she means when a great, destructive force rips apart the void and everything is swallowed up by a great white light.

* * *

Damian Wayne stands over them, a vengeful god.

The mortals and the pretenders alike begin to scream, though some of them throw themselves at It's feet in worship. Destruction doesn't care. Destruction overlooks some of them and makes others go away. There are four mortals, or three mortals and one pretender, with a white streak in his hair, who has died and then lived again, and they don't know whether they should fear for their lives too. Destruction cares not whether they live or die, but the soul who's body It inhabits thinks otherwise.

Destruction doesn't care enough to argue, and leaves them be. There's a hulking mortal before it though, muscle bound and for once, wisely, frightened. The soul doesn't like this mortal, so Destruction makes him go away and then the screaming crescendos, and the woman who is the mother of the soul is splattered in his blood. Destruction waves a hand and the woman goes away to, and there is more screaming and more blood, but Destruction doesn't care.

The floor is red and the walls are red and in places the ceiling is too. The god looks back one last time at the mortals who the soul refuses to bring harm to, all wide-eyed and a little bit blood-spattered themselves by now, and It leaves them be. Taking up the Miracle Box in It's hands, Destruction waves a hand and time, already split in two, changes around it.

The last of that timeline is swallowed into the crack and gone, and then the League reforms around It, where the lamp light flickers and the shadows are filled with watching demons. In the dark courtyard below, It hears three mortals squabble, but one voice in particular makes the god startle.

Wrestling for control of the soul's body, now a week younger than it previously had been, the god stalks into the courtyard from the archway to the black-haired mortal's back, silent, a shadow, as Lynx Maleun is meant to be. It's obsidian mask gleams, it's hand is clenched into a fist, and the god struggles for control against the soul's volatile temper.

"What's going on?" the red mortal asks.

The one It is drawn to turns fully to face him. "Damian?" She looks down at it's empty hands and comprehension clicks into place. It's fist snaps open. "Damian, where's the box?"

_"Cataclysm."_

And it happens fast.

Dark energy gathers from the ring on It's hand -

Assassins melt out of the shadows and take hold of the mortals -

From the archway, It senses the soul's mother -

His mortal, a sole tear slipping down her cheek, starts to say, "Until the end," when -

It's hand, reaching for her, oozes dark energy -

And then it stops.

* * *

_Damian_ stops. His eyes are closed tight and Marinette's heart hammers when suddenly he hunches forwards, as if in pain, and begins to tremble.

"Damian?" she breathes. From the archway, Talia has frozen, her eyes gone wide; this is not a part of her plan. "Damian, are you -"

His eyes snap open again, and they glow a great white light. Red bleeds into his suit, swallowing the green, the gold inlays along his arms and around his waist turn silver, and it is then that she notices the two earrings in place on his lobes, and she feels two timelines collide with a ferocity that almost brings her to her knees.

Shes staggers and cries out, because it feels like she has just been hit by a train. Damian - or the thing possessing him - sees his and snaps his arm out and catches hold of her and then -

And then the world turns in place, there's a great rushing sensation and she can't see anything, but suddenly she's cold, _freezing_ in fact. When her mind registers solid ground beneath her feet she forces her eyes open and is met with darkness. Thoughts of a void place hit her, but no, no she isn't in a void. She's on a _mountainside_. The League's headquarters are a good distance away now, close enough that the assassins manning the walls look like ants.

And there's wind. There's a biting wind that howls in her ears, and while she stares at Damian he doesn't stare back. Two white pits glare out at her from behind his mask and she can see drops of blood dried on the skin where he forced her earrings into place.

He opens his mouth, and the words, _"Miraculous Ladybug,"_ rinse through the air, like a thousand souls in one body, speaking in tandem, and she feels a zip of shock go through her body, leaving her energized, stronger than she had been a minute ago. The spots disappear from her vision like _that_, and suddenly, she knows exactly what has happened. There are two timelines, though one is gone to dust, and in it -

She sucks in a sharp breath. _"Damian!"_ she shouts over the wind. He doesn't give any indication of having heard her; his face remains a blank slate. _"Damian, you need to let Tikki go! You've done it now, you've brought me back. You don't need to hang on anymore!"_

She clamps her hands to his shoulders despite the power he radiates trying to force her away. The wind shrieks in her ears and stings her eyes so badly that she's seeing through slits.

_"Can you hear me?"_ He gives no sign of being able to, and she doesn't know what she's supposed to do because he can't be left like _this_. Her eyes go to the earrings, and she knows they're her only hope. _"Damian, if - if you can hear me in there, I'm taking my earrings back. Don't try to stop me." _He doesn't respond, but muscles in his jaw are jumping like he wants to respond.

When her hands go to his ears, his arms twitch like the god is trying to stop her, but something is holding it back. Damian is straining against himself, but he doesn't have to for long. Air pressure makes her eardrums pop but she doesn't let go, instead she pulls -

And then falls forwards as Damian keels back, the glow of his eyes and the red in his suit both vanished in the blink of an eye. She's on her knees in the shallow snow, Damian flat on his back before her.

As the earrings grow warm in the palms of her hands and Lynx Maleun's suit is returned itself to its usual green and gold, she realises that the wind has died away, that the god had been creating most of it. The idea is terrifying, and she thinks of The Ladybug's uncanny, empty smile.

Damian, on the ground, is unmoving. The spots where the earrings had been are red and aggravated. She takes a deep breath, feels life fill her lungs and run through her blood, immune even to the cold. Then she tries to rouse him.

"Damian." She grabs onto his shoulder and shakes, softly at first but then more roughly when he still doesn't move. _"Damian,_ wake up." He's breathing; she can see the rise and fall of his chest, but -

_What was that?_ She leans in closer and hears it again; a small grunt. He's waking up.

"Hey, Damian, it's Marinette! I need you to wake up!" He starts to stir, so she tacks on, _"I'm in danger!"_ and watches his eyes snap open.

"I - Wha-" He's looking around now, taking in the mountains with a confused glare, until his sights land on her. His jaw goes slack. "M-Marinette. You're alright."

"Should I blame you for killing me, or thank you for bringing me back?" He looks too dazed to really comprehend what she's saying. "What happened, Damian? I thought we agreed that Cataclysm was the worst-case scenario plan." The one he himself had outright rejected more than once.

"I -" He opens and closes his mouth but she can see awareness returning to his eyes the longer he lays there looking at her. "Mother poisoned you. There wasn't an antidote and they sealed off the Pit, so I couldn't - I'm sorry, it was all I could do, I couldn't - I was always going to bring you back."

"I know."

They look at each other for a minute. She's still sitting on him and she knows she should move, but she can't be bothered.

As Damian comes around to the realisation that she's right there, in front of him, he starts to smile, and the knowledge that he really brought her back makes her return it, almost giddy with the feeling of _life_. He doesn't even seem to care that he's grinning at her the cheesiest grin to ever see the light of day, and she sure as hell doesn't.

Shouts come from below all of a sudden and they turn to the source in tandem. Down in what looks like a vehicle yard she sees two figures fighting off a group of Leaguers. 

Damian sucks in a breath. "When it first happened, Todd and Drake were found and captured. That must be what's happening now." 

"Then we need to act fast," Marinette says, leaping to her feet at last. He follows her up. "I think you should deal with - Oh, _wait!"_ He turns to her, alarmed by her call, but she is smiling; she has just remembered the earrings in her hand. 

Hastily she puts them back on, almost bursting with longing, and she could cry tears of joy when Tikki materialises.

"Oh, Marinette!" her tiny friend cries, zipping about the air around her head before dive bombing her for a snuggle. "Marinette, I was so worried!"

"God, I missed you Tikki!" she says, blinking away tears and cupping the kwami to her face. Damian is watching their reunion with a strained smile on his face, and after a minute, Tikki pulls away from her a bit to face him.

"You did a good job, Damian," she says, her expression not quite _warm,_ but gentle. Understanding. Then she sobers. "But you should have been more patient when you recalled Marinette's soul from The Ladybug's presence."

He raises his eyebrows. "You can't honestly expect _patience_ from me when this is what's waiting at the end of the line." He nods at Marinette, who just looks confused.

"I don't understand - any of this, Tikki. I'm alive, I didn't die, but I _remember_ it, and I remember _The Ladybug -"_

Tikki shakes her head. _"Wielders always remember._ Such abrupt withdrawal from the afterlife can be dangerous, Damian. You might have damaged Marinette's soul, and she only has one of those!" 

At that his good humours die, and Marinette hasn't seen him truly happy since before his mother reared her infuriatingly beautiful head.

"It doesn't matter," she says. "I'm back, and my soul is okay, isn't it?" 

Tikki nods vehemently, which makes her whole, tiny body go off-kilter until she rights herself. "Yes, but be careful next time, Damian!" 

"I don't plan for there to be a next time," he says, looking at Marinette.

"Are you ready?" she asks her kwami, who almost squeals with excitement. "Tikki, _spots on!"_

* * *

From high in the sky, Ladybug swings out of the darkness and descends on the hoard attacking the Robins, taking out three as she goes and another four upon hitting the ground. Both time and death have failed to dull her skill and with her help, the Robins fight off each of the assassins sent to bring them in.

As the last one falls (to a rather precise kick from Marinette that has the two brothers wincing), she turns to them and thrusts the Miracle Box into Red Robin's hands.

_"Hide it,"_ she says, and as he rushes to obey, she adds, "Somewhere it can't be found."

"What's happening, short stack?" Jason asks. "Your two little friends had a real big brain moment, sneaking off to save you. Did it work?" Through the helmet, she senses his confusion.

"It's a long story. Right now I need to go," she says, hopping from foot to foot. "Damian's still on his own in there, he needs back up."

He sighs. "Go then. We'll get this thing secure, and if you're not back in five minutes, we'll come after you."

* * *

Find Chloe and Nathaniel, get their Miraculous back, get them out before they have the chance to kill me, Damian thinks to himself, sprinting for the courtyard. Chloe has done him a favour in this regard; she's screaming so loudly that a deaf man could track her from vibrations in the air. He rounds another corner -

And stood in his way is his mother, and Ubu. He can see two Miraculous glinting in her hand.

"Damian." She sounds surprised to see him. "What's going on?" She catches his look and says, "I hope the answer doesn't upset me."

"I think it will," he can't help but say. He smiles. “But if _I’ve _upset you, you’re going to _really _hate her.”

Her glare takes on a confused edge and she turns, to see Ladybug striding towards her from the behind. Her eyes narrow. “Ubu, I think we’re being betrayed.”

The henchman’s face splits into a bloodthirsty grin. “Finally. I’ve been wanting to rip these brats apart for _days_.”

“Mother,” Damian says, “we don’t want to hurt you.”

The woman scoffs and levels a derisive look at her son. “After all this? If that’s true, Damian, I’m _disappointed_.”

He pauses to consider. "You're right," he finally agrees as Marinette reaches them and meets his eyes over Talia's shoulder. She gives him a single nod. "Do your worst."

Talia's lip curls. "I won't need to."

Her fingers close around his suit and she snaps off the ground, bridging up and over him, toppling him to the ground. He's so disoriented that he thinks he's seeing things, but no; Marinette's yoyo string is wrapped around Ubu's monstrous neck and she's choking him out, stood on his broad shoulders and hanging on even as the hulk roars and tries to shake her off. His face has gone red and is making its way to purple, spittle gathering at the corners of his mouth -

A punch to the side of the head breaks Damian's concentration, though the hood of his suit protects him. He pushes back against his mother's constraining grip and mother and son go for each other's throats.

Marinette is still strangling Ubu, gritting her teeth and sweat beginning to drip down her forehead. Her face has gone pink, but Ubu's is dangerously purple now and he's beginning to wheeze.

"You sealed the Lazarus Pit mother," Damian grits out. "Do you really want your right hand man to die over this?"

"Marinette won't kill him," she says. “Really Damian, must you insist on being such a disappointment?”

“You’re the disappointment,” he grunts, and a second later Ubu goes to his knees. He uses his mother's momentary distraction to crack her on the forehead and her eyes roll back. She slumps to the ground at his side, unconscious, and he gets to his feet, trying not to pant for breath.

Marinette climbs over Ubu's prone body, and Damian privately thinks he won't be down for long. Neither of them will be. Still, for the moment they can breathe.

"I'm sorry," he tells her. "You said you remember - I mean, even if you didn't, I'm still sorry. I was always going to bring you back."

She shakes her head. “I never doubted you.”

“I know you didn’t,” he says, hoping she hears the weight in his tone and knows just how much. Her smile softens and he thinks she does.

He feels it again; the urge to lean in and capture her lips in his, because he's missed them - missed her so much - but his guilt roots him to the spot once more and them she's moving away from him, the moment passed.

"We need to find Chloe and Nathaniel, then get the hell out of here. Your brothers have a helicopter secured." She's explaining all of this as they continue their march down the hallway. In another life he had walked these same halls at this time at his mother's side, diminished, a half-life. A wretched thing who had done wretched things. Damian al Ghul.

At Marinette's side he is Damian Wayne, Lynx Maleun, and he walks with a power that she fuels. If any assassins are watching them now they will not make themselves known.

"If they've still been taken, then they're being held in one of the east wing cells," he tells her. "Were. Will be. Whatever."

She simply nods; she's in full Ladybug mode now and this means that Marinette takes a backseat.

He leads her right to their friends, and their dual rage is enough to lay waste to any who cross them. The weasel-faced assassin who had called him young lord stands alone at the end of the hall. He looks unhappy to see Lynx Maleun; when his eyes land on Ladybug he looks like he's soiled himself.

"Do you want me to make life simple for us and open the door?" she asks, spinning her yoyo out in a razor-sharp shield before them. Weasel-face whimpers. Marinette raises an eyebrow. "Have it your way."

She and Damian pounce in-sync. He absently recognises Chloe and Nathaniel's stark white faces in the window of the cell, gaping out at them, but concentrates his energies on weasel-face. The man isn't the weakest he's ever fought, but he's nothing against the combined forces of Ladybug and Lynx Maleun.

All too soon he is unconscious on the floor, bleeding from his forehead, and they are free to release their friends. Marinette passes back the Bee and Fox Miraculous and they take them, but don't assume them.

"I... What?" Nathaniel looks like he's going to pass out.

Chloe stares between them. "What the fuck?" she breathes. "What happened back there? I have these - memories." She shoots a suspicious look at Damian.

"Queen Bee," Marinette snaps. "I need you to get it together. _Both of you,"_ she adds with a stern look at Nathaniel, beginning to hyperventilate.

Chloe is staring at Damian. "Did you - I mean - I ought to _kick your ass,"_ she growls.

_"Queen Bee,"_ she says again. "Transform. Fantasmo, you too. Move it, or none of us are getting out of here." That snaps them both into action and they're quick to change.

Damian doesn't speak as he leads them back the way they came. How can he? They remembered watching him...

They saw what he did with their own eyes, though their brains are deceiving them right now. He _is_ lucky Chloe didn't kick his ass. He's lucky she hasn't _killed_ him. "I -"

_"Hey!_ What are you doing?" It's Ubu. There's an angry line cut into the skin of his neck and he's red in the face, surrounded by Leaguers. Damian can tell there are more of them though, unseen. "Trying to leave? But the party's just getting started."

"Let us pass," Damian says, forcing the words out. "If you do, we'll leave some of you be. If you don't, we'll eviscerate you all." He hears Chloe scoff and mutter, "I'll eviscerate _you,"_ but ignores it.

"You would wipe out our squadrons with four Miraculous?" Ubu asks, amused.

"We would wipe out your squadrons with _ one _Miraculous," he says.

"I’ll do it!" Chloe says, seeming almost as bloodthirsty as Ubu.

"I was being figurative," he tells her.

"Oh."

_"I heard there was a party!"_ It's Drake, with Todd not far behind, appears on the scene and Damian's throat goes dry on sight. In another life, they had been captured by now.

"Looks like they're getting started without us," Todd says, reaching for his gun. "That's just not _fair,_ guys."

Ubu snorts, turning his attention on the Robins. "If you want my attention, you have it, Joker's plaything."

They all hear the growl that rips from Todd's throat. "I was gonna let you go with a beating. Not now. Now, you're gonna get what you fucking deserve."

* * *

Marinette drops into a fighting stance and glares at the Leaguers, tensing -

And out of nowhere the stand-off becomes a battle.

The woman directly in front of her swings for her head and she manages to dodge it and starts running. Something is pushing at the back of her eyes but she represses it. There are so many people fighting now that she doesn't know how everyone knows who they're actually supposed to be attacking. Do the people with swords just go for other people with swords?

_Focus_.

One comes at her, silver blade glimmering in the moonlight and she barely deflects it before Damian is there, snarling and feral, spitting curses in Arabic as he fights the swordsman. She needs to pull herself together but dying and time travel aren't the easiest things to recover from, not that it matters in the immediate because Damian is unleashing the full rage of the Black Cat on the League.

Another sword descends and Marinette ends up back to back with Damian. She parries, blocks, dodges then lunges up and headbutts him in the chest. He grunts, stumbles back and she loops her yoyo around his neck, pulling him in then sending him flying, where he scatters a bunch of his comrades like a bowling ball through skittles.

"There's something I need to take care of," she shouts to him over the crush of noise. He grunts, which she takes as a sign that he's listening. "No one's watching Talia. We need to -"

"You're not going after her," he snaps. "I don't want her within an inch of you again."

Her vision clears of Leaguers for a moment in which she whirls to face him. "I need to do this."

"You -"

_"She killed me, Damian_. I need to see her." She blinds the swordsman aiming for Damian's back and knocks him to the ground. "I'll be fast."

"That isn't what I meant -" He grunts as he disarms his opponent and removes him from the fight. _"Fine._ Fine, if you must. I'll see you through."

He does just that, ensuring that she makes it to the hallway at the very end of which lies Talia al Ghul's private rooms. Before they part ways, his hand on her arm stills her and she turns to him inquisitively. He swallows.

"The cabinet where she keeps her wine stores... That's also where she keeps the poison that she used on you." _Oh._ Marinette doesn't offer a reply; she takes in his sombre expression and returns it, nods.

"I'll be okay."

"Make sure that you are."

She runs before he can say or do anything else. He watches her go with a grim expression, but he finds that he isn't sad.

* * *

Some people believe that one soul must be exchanged for another, the Ladybug had said, and Marinette wonders about how long she has.

It won't be long before Talia finds her, but Marinette is ready this time. Two glasses of golden red wine sit on the table, waiting. The bottle from which she poured has been put away in the cabinet, and now all she can do is wait.

She doesn't have to wait for long. The door opens mere seconds after Marinette has sat down, and Talia assesses her from the doorway. Marinette stares back, unflinching. This is the woman who killed you, she thinks, and raises her chin up.

"Will you sit?" she asks, nodding at the seat opposite that Talia always took. "I think we need to talk."

Silent as a shadow, the woman does. Her gaze is on Marinette every step of the way, taking in her suit, the flat coldness in her eyes, unblinking. Before she sits however, she looks at the wine and scoffs.

"I'm not drinking anything you give me. Do you think I'm an idiot?"

Marinette sighs. "You think I'm going to poison you back?" She holds her arms out. "With_ what?"_

Talia shakes her head, walks to the cabinet, pours herself a fresh glass. Marinette breathes in, only a bit shakily, and her fingernails dig into the palms of her hands through the material of her gloves, but she tries to keep her face blank.

"Alright," Talia says, finally taking to her seat. "Lets talk. You've come back to life. That's... interesting." When Marinette realises that she is waiting to see her start drinking, she takes a convincing sip. Not long after, Talia begins to drink as well and Marinette feels some of the tension drain from her shoulders.

"I'm an interesting person," she says, and puts the glass to her lips.

Talia's smile is wan. "That you are. Now, what are you going to tell me about how you managed this?"

Nothing, is what she would like to say, but she needs to talk, and let Talia talk in turn, if she's going to believe that Marinette isn't here without reason.

"A soul for a soul," she divulges eventually, and Talia stills. "That's how it works. Damian brought me back, but no soul has been given in my place. Yet." There's comprehension, beginning to dawn. "I wouldn't just kill someone, not for my own sake, but I have a short list of exceptions. There's only one person on it." Marinette holds her glass out over the flagstone floor, and pours every last drop of her untouched wine onto the tiles. She looks at Talia now, and waits.

"You poisoned the bottle." Marinette gives no response, unable to speak.

She shows no outward reaction, though Marinette wouldn't expect one from her. She has been perfecting her poker face for so many years that even when faced with death, she doesn't show that she's human.

"You... miserable little girl," she says eventually, and indeed, Marinette feels absolutely no glee in this moment.

"If I have it right, your Lazarus Pit has been sealed off," she says. "If I were you, I'd want it re-opened, and fast."

The cruelty in Talia's eyes glimmers. "Is that what you would like? For me to reverse this poisoning, and absolve you of your guilt? A soul for a soul, you say. Well perhaps I'll just let it happen. Maybe what I _want_ is for you to live with it."

Marinette can't answer right away. She tries, stops, starts again. "Maybe you do," she concedes, "but you're afraid of dying. It's your business, but I don't think you understand it, and that scares you."

Suddenly, this is the last place in the world where she wishes to linger, and she lurches to her feet. Talia rises with her, so Marinette throws an empty vial at her feet. It clinks against the tile but doesn't break. Talia stares at it.

"Do you want to know what I think the most interesting part is? That Damian told me where you hide your poison stores. That he knew when he did what I was going to do with it, and he didn't care because he despises you as much as I do." There's a new emotion taking hold of Talia. Marinette thinks it might be grief. "I'm going home now, and you're going to leave me alone. Goodbye, Talia."

She walks away without awaiting a response, but she gets one anyway, of sorts. _"Open the Lazarus Pit,"_ she hears Talia bark. _"Stop your ridiculous fighting and reopen it, NOW!"_

* * *

"Time to go, kids!"

It's Drake, who has appeared from the fray, bloodied but not beaten. They don't wait to be told twice, and spring for the exit.

The brawl outside rages on, oblivious to anything happening with the League's leader. The wielders and the Robins are trying to fight their way outside but the going proves almost impossible, even when some of the assassins leave the scene, and Marinette has yet to return.

Damian, oddly detached from the choice he has made, can think only of where she is, as Drake latches onto his arm and pulls him down the empty side alley the rest of their entourage has vanished down. Then they're free to sprint for the exit, at last, but Marinette is still gone -

_"I'm here! I'm here!"_ he hears her call over the roar of the battling Leaguers, some departing for reasons unknown - not that he’ll complain because it makes his life easier. Ladybug swings above them, landing well clear in the alley, just behind her friends.

They’re running as fast as they can away from the shouts and the rising smoke. Here, Marinette catches up to them _at last,_ and Damian snags her wrist before he can stop himself, trapping her against the wall before she even registers that he’s there, and then he’s kissing her like his life depends on it, holding her so tight her spine curves backwards.

"Oh, what the hell?" Tim asks, disgusted.

_“What the fuck?”_ Chloe shrieks as Nathaniel goes as red as his hair and looks away. “We are _running for our lives_ from_ assassins!”_

Marinette’s arms go around Damian’s neck and he moves away from her only long enough to say, “You were incredible,” then again to add, “They didn’t stand a chance,” before his lips are back on hers, _hard_.

“Oh my god,” Nathaniel mutters. “We’re going to die.”

He’s right, Marinette knows, but in the moment she doesn’t care; she’s kissing Damian back like _her _life depends on it, one hand disappearing beneath his hood to grip his hair.

“I had no idea you find the sight of me fighting so irresistible,” she pulls away to say. He doesn’t reply, just kisses her so hard her head knocks back against the wall. She gasps; he goes in deeper.

_“Hey!_ Pervs! We need to go, _now!”_ Chloe barks, hands on hips. Finally they move away from each other proper. If she weren’t already blushing, the way he’s looking at her now would sure as hell do it, but the sound of racing footsteps grows closer than ever.

“We need to move,” she says.

“I hate them,” he replies, but obligingly pulls her away from the wall, and they start running again.

The night air hits them and they're outside, and they're still running. The helicopter is in their sights and the League are on their tail -

Now Jason and Tim are home dry, and so is Chloe -

A throwing star sails overhead and sticks fast in the helicopter's hull -

Nathaniel is in too, and he's reaching back for her, while behind the League is almost on them, but -

Damian shoves her forwards and Nathaniel grabs her, pulling her aboard. She falls flat on her back on the floor of the helicopter, which is already taking off. Chloe has pulled Damian inside too, though she looks like she isn't sure if she should be pushing them both back out.

The black of night swallows them, Nanda Parbat becomes miniature, smaller and smaller, and finally it vanishes from sight. Silence falls, save for the chopping of the helicopter blades. Damian's spontaneous kiss forgotten in the moment, the wielders look at each other and then tears spring suddenly to Chloe's eyes.

"You died," she snaps. "I saw you die. _I saw him kill you!"_ She's pointing at Damian and trembling with rage, but Marinette stays calm.

"It's complicated. We knew Talia might try to have me killed, so we tried to plan for it if she did."

Nathaniel, frowning, asks, "So this was all a part of your plan?"

"It - Well - It was part one _one_ plan -"

Half-sobbing, Chloe punches Marinette in the shoulder and cries, _"Don't EVER fucking do that again!"_

"Sorry, I'll try not to," she says, catching Damian's eye over her shoulder as the blonde throws herself at Marinette, overcome with emotion.

He doesn't look... how she had expected him to. Now the adrenaline is waning, his expression has gone remarkably blank, for a man who has condemned his own mother to die. His eyes ask the question, but he doesn't have the nerve to.

"I didn't do it, Damian. I just told her that I did. The distraction let us escape." He stares at her. "Did you really want me to, though? Did you want me to kill your mother? Because if you did, you sent the wrong person for the job. That isn't me. I won't let her make me that person."

He only nods, but she thinks his shoulders seem a fraction lighter and Marinette tries to reconcile it. However he might despise her, because she does not doubt that he does, to condemn his own mother to death must have weighed on him. She hopes that she's made the right choice. She wonders whether the League have reopened the Lazarus Pit yet, and whether Talia has used it, or if she has realised that no poisons seem to be setting in.

Nathaniel waves a pair of noise-cancelling earphones in front of her face and she snatches them up. Looking out the window into the never-ending dark, she thinks she can see a sliver of light on the horizon. For the first time, she tells herself that she's homeward bound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap!... On the League arc. The Hound waits in Paris. If you haven't already seen, my Daminette December prompt fills for "fire" and "tree" were uploaded in A Vision Softly Creeping, and I have more days waiting to release. Please check it out!


	20. iii. Seven Souls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ancient Egyptians postulated seven souls...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song which inspired the opening to Act Three is "Seven Souls" by Material, brilliantly narrated by William S. Buroughs, which makes it our song of the day.

* * *

_"The ancient Egyptians postulated seven souls."_

A new dawn rises on Paris, while its sleeping inhabitants have no idea that their missing heroes have returned. By the time the day is out, so too will the news be.

_"Top soul, and the first to leave at the moment of death, is Ren, the Secret Name. He directs the film of your life from conception to death."_

Marinette is pulled down the snowy pavement by Grayson, a strong little fellow as it turns out, though he's still only a puppy. She barely keeps her footing, stumbling and almost falling more than once, because she's concentrating all her energies on her phone; several open tabs are informing her on the Hound, and everything the public know about the city's newest supervillain.

Her lips are pursed and her expression is uncharacteristically stern, but no wonder; she has lived through hell, has died and come back to life, and now she has to deal with this bullshit. Whoever the Hound is, wherever she is, she's going to be met with Ladybug's wrath soon enough.

_"When you die, that's where Ren came in."_

* * *

_"Second soul, and second one off the sinking ship, is Sekem; Energy, Power, Light."_

Damian Wayne stares at the wall of his bedroom. It's only early and in an hour he has to be at school (once again, _damn Richard),_ so he gets his real work done while he can. The Hound first showed herself mere hours after the Dog Miraculous was lost, and in that first attack she made quite the impression. The impressions left on Kagami Tsurugi's neck alone are evidence of this. The Hound may just prove an effective foe, but Damian will enjoy destroying her nonetheless.

Marinette has told him to take December off, to "just be" and he fully intends to, just as soon as he's sure he has a lead on the Hound's trail.

_"The director gives the orders; Sekem presses the right buttons."_

* * *

_"Number three is Khu, the Guardian Angel. A bird with luminous wings and head of light."_

In Paris' most luxurious nail bar, Chloe Bourgeois is having a silver shellac manicure done, on her father's credit card. She's invited Sabrina Raincomprix, but she's talking without pause for breath, to the extent that even if Sabrina had wanted to add to the conversation, she wouldn't be able to find an in.

_"__The Hound?_ Who does she think she is?" Chloe scoffs, flicking her platinum ponytail over her shoulder. Sabrina, busy gazing at her, doesn't reply. This doesn't matter. "I swear, Queen Bee leaves for a _week _and everything goes to hell. I'll show this bitch what happens to people who mess with _my_ city."

_"The Khu is responsible for the subject and can be injured in his defense, but not permanently."_

* * *

_"Number four is Ba, the Heart, often treacherous."_

The morning air is cold in Marc's bedroom, but not as nearly so much as the cold he had grown used to in Nanda Parbat. Nathaniel sits on the side of the bed, careful not to wake his boyfriend, and stares out of the window at the grey skies ahead. The Fox dangles from his neck, on show for once, and he occasionally glances down at it. His fingers are steepled in front of his mouth, his brow is furrowed.

A lot is on Nathaniel Kurtzburg's mind; has been ever since their victorious return to Paris, but as ever, he remains silent on the subject.

_"Many a hero has been brought down, like Samson, by a perfidious Ba."_

* * *

_"Number five is Ka, the Double, most closely associated with the subject."_

It's typical that Luka Couffaine's soundboard would die just when he's beginning to go places with his music. He's sat, freezing, in this small space on a cold December morning with an engineer, who is painstakingly taking his baby apart piece by piece to figure out what went wrong, when his phone _dings;_ a text.

He stares down at the message and eventually decides not to reply, yet. Marinette wants to speak to him about Mourning Star, and Luka isn't stupid. There's only one thing she would want to talk to him about regarding that particular akuma, and he isn't looking forward to it.

_"The Ka, which usually reaches adolescence at the time of bodily death, is the only reliable guide through the Land of the Dead."_

* * *

_"Number six is Khaibit, the Shadow. Memory."_

Kagami Tsurugi stares at the angry scars on her neck for a long while before she settles her fencing vest into place and the stiff white collar covers them entirely. Good. That's good. She takes up her saber, gives herself a moment to breathe, and heads out into the arena. A crowd of challengers await her attentions and she gives it to them, each with increasing ferocity, until she's twisting and jabbing at an unmatchable speed.

Blood thunders in her ears and in swift succession she fells them all, something she has twice failed at in regards to the Hound. She grits her teeth and hammers in harder.

_"Your whole past conditioning from this, and other lives."_

* * *

_"Number seven is Sekhu..."_

Adrien Agreste watches his friend tear her competitors apart from the sidelines and thinks about the Hound, who she has faced as Ryuko twice now. He thinks about Marinette, who is Ladybug, Damian Wayne, who is Lynx Maleun, and he himself, who used to be Chat Noir.

He thinks for the hundredth time about Elise Bisset, who used to be Mourning Star.

_"The Remains."_

* * *

Lila Rossi has carved out a small slice of Parisian society all for herself, and she is quite enjoying it.

She was careful in how she went about winning back her classmates, and with the absence of Marinette and her entourage of yes-men, this was made all the easier. Mylene is to her left and Max is to her right, and she's telling them all about the car her mother bought her at the start of the month. Its purpose is to preemptively make up for missing out on Christmas, but she won't tell them that part.

"She bought it just because! I gave Alya a ride to school in it this morning, didn't I Alya?"

The girl nods. "It's an _awesome_ car, Lila. Really, the seats are so comfy!"

"Yeah, you said," Lila simpers, and then turns to Mylene and her wide, glistening eyes. "So when are you learning to drive?"

Mylene begins to blabber on but Lila isn't listening; she's paying closer attention to Rose and Juleka, a few desks over, talking about their missing classmates. Despite one of the Wayne brothers claiming that they had been kidnapped by enemies of the American family, the French police had become involved a couple of days ago, and with them the hysteria increased.

"I keep meaning to ask Sabrina whether her father has heard anything, but she's been so upset about Chloe that I don't dare bring any of it up," Rose whispers. Mylene is yapping so loudly that Lila has to strain to listen in. "I don't think anything's happened yet."

"Mr Bourgeois has all of Paris' authorities involved," Juleka says soothingly. "He'd have all of France involved if he could. They'll be found."

"I hope you're right," Rose says, worrying her lip.

Lila, watching them from the corner of her eye, makes a show of nodding at something Mylene is awaiting a response on. "Oh yeah, yeah. Totally." When she's finished, the two girls have moved onto something else and Lila has to stop herself from showing her irritation.

The classroom door opens, and Marinette Dupain-Cheng steps inside, followed by their other missing classmates. Lila's heart stops at the exact same time as the room falls silent. Her easy smirk slides away from her face until she's grimacing, but no one sees because no one is paying her any attention now.

_"Holy shit!"_ Nino shouts after a moment, jumping to his feet.

He sparks a chain reaction from the rest of the room, and as her classmates all rush to meet their missing friends, a new expression comes to Lila's face. She rolls her pen between her fingers and a tiny smirk, of a different kind to the one before, creeps into place. It's almost imperceptible, but it's there.

Hawkmoth had told her to find out where Ladybug was. Ladybug, Lynx Maleun, Queen Bee, Fantasmo. Four missing superheroes, four missing classmates. There's magic in the Miraculous, she knows. Barkk has told her as much more than once. The same magic that protects her identity protects theirs, but there's no mistaking it now. While those out of the loop may be fooled by the glamours, Lila knows that Ladybug is back in Paris.

So she had better give her a welcome home gift, hadn't she?

* * *

Damian is watching Rossi from the second they step foot in their classroom at Francois-Dupont.

The ugly smirk on her face is cause enough for alarm, but the way she tries for once to _hide it_ makes him narrow his eyes. Jostled by Marinette's classmates all vying for their attention, or for Chloe's and Nathaniel's, he has to be careful. He already knows who he would name as the Hound, and that being the case she isn't just an annoyance now; she's an active danger.

"What happened to you guys?" _"Are you all okay?" _"We've been so worried about you all!"

"I heard it was an enemy of the Waynes! Damian, did you _know_ this was going to happen?"

_"Excuse me?"_ he spits, affronted. He turns to Alya Cesaire, who has shoved her way to the front of the crowd. "What did you just say?"

Her eyes are hungry for the story and she wets her lips before asking, again, "Did you think something like this might happen when you and Marinette first started dating?"

_"Alya!"_ He rarely sees Marinette look so angry. "How - How _dare you?"_

"I'm not saying that he planned it, but did he _know -"_

_"Enough."_ Damian's icy tone stills the excited crowd of students, but Cesaire, certain that she is onto a story of some kind, is steadfast. She meets his gaze with a challenge. "That's _quite_ enough. No, Cesaire, I didn't know. Why on Earth would I want to put Marinette in harm's way, whether she was my girlfriend or not? We were attacked by a group of people whose name I haven't heard in years."

"Exactly," Marinette says. "We - Damian couldn't have predicted what happened."

Rossi is still watching them, her eyes flicking between Marinette and Damian, then Chloe and Nathaniel, and he can see the gears in her head turning. She's planning something.

"But don't you think it's strange, that -"

"Cesaire, this is one of the most insipid questionings I've ever been put through," he says. "It isn't even worth my time to answer, nor is it worth Marinette's, or Bougeois' or Kurtzburg's."

"That's right," Chloe says, crossing her arms and looking imperiously around the room, tapping a glittery, silver nail on her arm. "Any more stupid questions, and Queen Bee won't be saving you during the next akuma attack."

Rossi has moved to her feet, and she's settling a convincingly pleased smile on her face. Damian nudges Marinette, a slight enough movement that no one else notices. He sees her spot Rossi and her eyes turn steely as the girl makes her way over.

The crowd parts for her - which he thinks is interesting - and then Marinette and Rossi are face to face.

"Marinette! We're all so relieved to see you guys again."

"Yes, Kim was just saying so." Marinette turns a kind smile on said classmate, being very careful not to engage with whatever Lila's trying to do. "Thanks again, Kim. We're glad to be back."

"We were all going to pitch together to help with the search efforts," Lila continues, "but it looks like you decided to show up again on your own!"

Chloe's eyes turn to slits. "Go bark up a different tree, bitch. We're not playing ball."

Some of their classmates wince or gasp, but all Lila does is turn a saccharine smile on the blonde and say, "Of course, Chloe. We can all catch up later."

There's a promise in her voice that leaves the quartet on edge for the rest of the day, through reunions with teachers and other students, and rushed, half-hearted interviews with the local news team who jump them the second they leave school. (Damian's brothers had predicted this and were waiting, on-scene, when they left to help usher the kids to safety.) While Marinette eats dinner with her parents she's tense the whole time, waiting, waiting...

And then, at seven o'clock, alarms tear through the city.

* * *

The crowd is screaming and the people in it push and shove at each other to get away. Desperation rends the air and above them all, the Hound pursues from the rooftops, like a stalking demon.

She's penning them in, not that they can tell through the chaos. They're herded into a square and buildings on all sides keep them from running any further; her soon-to-be pack of two hundred people strong. The mist emanating from her fur is making it's invisible path through the panicking mortals but their mindless jabbering comes to an abrupt stop when she raises her left hand.

The eyes of the crowd snap to it, where the black of her clawed gloves bleeds into the burnt orange of her suit. She brings them under her spell with a come hither gesture that's completely unnecessary but that she has taken to using, and as she knew they would, they fall under instantly. Silent now, they wait for her directions.

The Hound's smirk is relaxed as she assesses her new pack, and satisfied that she has them, calls out, "Go. Find anyone who isn't one of us, and attack."

They rush to obey; practically fall over themselves in their haste. If Marinette Dupain-Cheng really _is_ Ladybug, Lila will know soon enough, and then all that's left...

_Heh_.

She's going to enjoy this. She's going to enjoy it a _lot._

* * *

The Hound is waiting for her when they arrive at the scene. Just looking at her, Marinette is hit with a wave of suspicion screaming, _"You know this person,"_ but the glamours do their job and she can't say anything for certain.

_"Ladybug,"_ she calls, "finally. What, did you get lost on the way or something?" The girl, decked all in burnt orange and black, is almost squirming with anticipation.

"Hound," Marinette says, hands on her hips. "What do you want?"

Through the helm, she sees the Hound's eyes roll. _"Your Miraculous._ What else? Oh, and your little boyfriend's too. Where is the overgrown cat?"

"He's dealing with your _pack,"_ she spits. "And speaking of which, let them all go. Now." The Hound rolls her head to the side but doesn't reply. "Whatever it is you want from me, you can't bring hundreds of civilians into it."

"I already _have_, Ladybug."

"But look at them!" she cries, gesturing desperately down to the fight that has overtaken the streets. "They have no control over themselves like this. They might kill someone, or get _themselves_ killed. You don't honestly _want_ that, do you?"

"I have enough control to stop them from doing something _that_ stupid," the Hound says, like it's a silly concern to have. "More control than you have, at that. With all this blabbing on you're doing, I'd think you might have stopped me before now. You, or your Lynx Cat, or even your _Dragon."_ She smirks. “What’s the difference between loyalty and hypnotism anyway?”

“Free will!”

The Hound shrugs. “It’s overrated.” She raises her hand and her onyx claws glint under the cold winter sun. "Your Miraculous means that I can't hypnotise you, which makes you of no use to me. That means I have no reason to let you live."

Marinette shifts into a battle-ready stance. "It's bold of you to assume that you can beat me, let alone _kill me_. I've been at this game a lot longer than you have, Hound."

"Big words, for someone who still doesn't know Hawkmoth's identity." Her eyes go wide and the Hound bares her teeth in a grin. "But hey, you wanna fight? _Lets fight."_

Battle rages above and down in the street, Queen Bee is paralysing the pack members left right and centre, staying high above the crush on her new wings, sporadically swooping down to airlift an injured victim to safety. Fantasmo stays on the ground, crouched low and half-hidden. He's playing a tune on his flute that scares the wits out of pack members; when the civilians they had been trying to tear apart suddenly morph into the dear leader herself they soon go running.

Ryuko doesn't want to call on any of her dragons when she's in the middle of the crush, civilians all around, so she and Viperion tag team to save them manually. Her speed joined with his strength may be slow going compared to Queen Bee's methods, but it works, and it guarantees that they won't be straining their transformations like she is.

Overall, Lynx Maleun has the easiest time of the battle, owing to his years spent at his father's side on the streets of Gotham. His skills learned in that time and honed in Paris let him safely subdue pack member after pack member, and though they are surprisingly strong, it's nothing superhuman.

When Ladybug and the Hound, high up on the rooftops, begin tearing into each other, he knows at once and concentrates his energies on clearing out the square so it's safe to go to his partner's aide.

On the roof, a one on one fight rages. The Hound, beginning to sweat, charges Marinette with shocking speed despite the fact that she's becoming visibly worn down, and she is forced to dodge out of the way. The Hound still manages to catch her with her claws, which tear the fabric of her suit but not her skin. With a well-placed kick to the underside of her chin, Marinette sends her nemesis hurtling across the rooftop.

She is back on her feet far too easily and the two wielders clash again, the Dog superior in strength but Marinette in every other way.

The Hound is beginning to tire, and it shows in her desperation. Like a wounded animal, lashing out in her death throes, she sends a shattering punch to Marinette's ribs that sends her stumbling, and a kick to her chest that sends her to her back. The Hound stomps down on Marinette's torso, and she feels her body break.

Still she tries to get up, but then the Hound's face is in hers and she whispers, "Alright, Ladybug, you win! I'll let them all go." She feels clawed fingers go to her earlobes and tries to move, but the Hound's strength is devastating even for a wielder, and she has obliterated Marinette's own strength completely. "All I ask in return, is that you remember. Remember that I could have easily taken your Miraculous in this moment..." The fingers vanish. "But I chose not to, because I want to have _fun_ with this first. I want to beat you in a place where everyone can see." The Hound rights herself and chuckles. "Turns out you weren't so tough. I might take on your boyfriend next. We'll see who's laughing then."

Marinette, broken as Ryuko had been, _knows_ in that moment. She knows without room for doubt that the Hound is Lila Rossi.

Her eyes snap open, bright with realisation, but the Hound never notices, so wrapped up in her own victory that she leaves her there on the rooftop, with her Miraculous in tact and her own identity blown.

Marinette is so stunned by Lila's arrogance that her eyes are still wide open when Damian finds her a couple of minutes later and rushes to her side.

"Ladybu-"

_"Help me up,"_ she tells him, reaching out for his hand blindly. "I need to cast the Cure, then we need to talk; Lila Rossi's the Hound."

* * *

On the day that his classmates turn up at school, safe and sound as if nothing had happened, Adrien finds himself walking up the stairs in Elise Bisset's building for the second time. He's still trembling, but he's sure that he's ready this time.

He knocks on the same door, and the same person answers. When Elise sees that it's him, her eyes go wide, like she isn't sure whether she should be scared of him or not.

This time, he makes himself speak. "Hello, Ms Bisset. I - I -" And then he says it aloud, for the first time. "I used to be Chat Noir."

Elise stares at him, uncomprehending to begin with, then his words sink in. She lets out a strangled cry, and it hits Adrien like a bus.

"I'm sorry," he says, checking himself over on reflex. "I shouldn't have come here. I shouldn't - I'm sorry."

He's almost at the stairs again when a willowy hand takes him by the shoulder. Elise has come after him.

He turns back to her, lost for words. She doesn't have the same problem. "Oh, dear boy," she breathes, and her eyes are kind, the colour of hazel. "Young man -"

"A-Adrien," he tells her.

She nods. "Adrien. Why don't -" She stops and starts again. "Why don't you come in?"

He's not sure that he should - not sure that he should be doing any of this - but he accepts, and so the boy who was once Chat Noir finds himself sat in the living room of the woman who was once Mourning Star, and somehow it's alright. For the first time in months he feels almost at peace. Even playing in Luka's band has been one grand distraction, but this -

This is what peace feels like.

"Would you like something to drink, Adrien?" Elise asks. She's tentative, but so is he, and he doesn't want to put her out of her way, so he says no even though he is actually quite thirsty.

Elise sits down opposite him, looking at him like she's seeing a ghost. The feeling is mutual, and he still doesn't know if this is a good idea. What is he supposed to say to this woman?

"You're looking well," he finally settles on.

"You aren't, dear boy," she says, with all the concern of a mother. He could cry. "Are you looking after yourself?"

"I try to," he says, because there's no way in hell that he's telling her he's in therapy.

She nods haltingly. "And do you - do you have people to support you?"

"Do you?"

"Well yes. My husband - he's at work right now - and my brother and his wife. But you never answered my question."

With no small part of hesitance, he says, "I have my friends."

Her delicate brow furrows. "Family?"

"None," he says with a swallow. He's not sure exactly how to explain the Gorilla to her. Elise looks faint now, and it takes him too long to notice. "I've wondered about trying to find you for a long time," he says. "It's just, I never knew what I'd say, or if I should..."

"I'm very glad to meet you, Adrien. I never got the chance to thank you for saving me, like I did your friends. So, Chat Noir, _thank you."_

He's crying now, but he doesn't care. "You're very welcome, Ms Bisset."

"What is this 'Ms Bisset'? It's Elise to you, understand me?" Her smile is watery but it's also that of a mother's, which only makes it harder to look at. "Now, dear boy, can I give you something to drink or not? I won't let a guest go thirsty in my own home."

Too choked up to answer, he manages a grateful nod and as Elise moves past him to her kitchenette, she brushes a loving hand over his hair.

He's completely overwhelmed by this assault of emotions, so much so that he fails to notice the cup of tea that she places down before him a couple of minutes later. He feels the sofa dip beside him though, and he feels it when Elise's arms go around him, pulling him in close and tucking his head beneath her chin.

Elise is crying too now, but she's still combing her fingers through his hair as he sobs into her. She would have been a good mother to Jacques, he thinks, but all she has is him.

For the next hour this is where they remain; the boy who used to be Chat Noir in the arms of the woman who used to be Mourning Star, entwined in their grief.

* * *

Now that they're all home and safe, Master Fu wishes to speak to them as a team. Damian's brothers have already seen the Miracle Box safely into his possession and so all they have to take to his new apartment is their best selves.

"I don't have my best self at hand," Luka quips when they all meet up again later that night. "Best I can do is a mildly functional self."

Marinette, both body and pride smarting from her loss, doesn't reply, thoughts of Lila Rossi swamping her. She has a talent for cruelty that she keeps well hidden, but her new life as the Hound, Hawkmoth’s hellish right hand, is encouraging her out of her shell, if you could even call it that to begin with.

"You're absolutely certain that it's Lila Rossi?" Kagami asks her.

"I know that there are glamours in place to stop people from being able to tell," she says, "but trust me,_ I know."_

"And her power is irritatingly effective," Damian says. "Mass hypnotism is a skill that we don't want to let her get good at."

"She's _already_ good at it."

"Look, if the Hound keeps being such a problem, we can just kill _Lila_ and then it's problem solved," Luka says.

Nathaniel nods. "We'd the first superheroes to be awarded peace prizes for letting a civilian die," he muses quietly.

"And how do you think we'd get away with that?" Chloe scoffs. "Even _I_ know we can't actually kill someone."

"Loopholes, ma chérie," Luka says with a wink and a wicked grin.

"But _Lila?"_ she says, scoffing. "Her claim to the Dog Miraculous is as invalid as she is."

Marinette can see Kagami physically resisting an eye roll. “Be that as it may, she has it, and she’s using it. Very effectively.”

Her throat goes tight. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here.” The scars are still there, angry and pink. Even a retroactive use of the Miraculous Ladybug had failed to erase them.

Kagami's lips thin. "Don't be. 'Sorry' isn't going to stop her. We need a _plan."_

"Right," she says with a sharp nod. "A plan... So who has one?"

Nobody, is the answer in short, so they set to brainstorming.

“Imagine that you’re Lila," Damian says. "I know it’s distasteful, but just - imagine. What would you do about a problem like this? Your arch enemy's back and she's declared war on you. So now what?”

There’s an awkward silence as everyone tries not to look at Chloe, who notices anyway. “Don’t look at _me_. I throw _money _at _my _problems.”

“Hey, I’m a problem,” Luka says, pushing open the door to the building and holding it for each of them. “Throw money at me. Who knew repairing a soundboard would be so expensive?”

They head up the stairs and knock on the door. When Master Fu answers, he spares them the thinnest of smiles before he allows them inside.

"I am relieved to see that you're all still in once piece," he tells them, closing the door after Nathaniel scampers in behind Kagami. "Chasing after the League was a reckless move."

"We got your fucking box back for you," Damian snaps. "What more do you want?"

"Damian," Marinette hisses, glaring at him. "I'm sorry, Master Fu, he didn't mean that."

"Yes I did -"

"Is everything as it should be?" she asks. "I know about the Hound, but aside from that..."

"Yes, all else is in order. All, except for one thing." He regards the gathered heroes with utmost graveness, and the sight of the Miraculous grimoire on the coffee table with him sends dread rushing through her.

"What's wrong, Master Fu?" she asks.

He narrows his eyes at her. "I believe something happened in Nanda Parbat that you have failed thus far to disclose. We need to talk about what's going to happen, now that you have died and come back to life."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And just like that, arc three, "The Hound", has begun. Were this a TV show, we'd be on season three by now. How about that?


	21. iii. Breathe The Air We Have Blown You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "If being Ladybug has taught me anything, it's that evil only prospers in the absence of good, so I'm going to do what I've always done; I'm going to act. I'm going to stop Hawkmoth, I'm going to stop Mayura, and I'm going to bring down the Hound."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOTD is my favourite song by The Who; The Punk & The Godfather.

Marinette is still reeling when Master Fu continues to say, "The ultimate power comes at the ultimate price. You didn't really think you could skip repayment, did you?" Master Fu shakes his head irritably. "It isn't a student loan."

She dreads the answer, but she has to ask, "And what is the price?" Tikki slips from her purse, silent. Her big eyes are sad and put Marinette on edge.

Master Fu sighs, suddenly showing all four of his centuries in his eyes and in the slump of his shoulders. "All Miraculous stem from the same source of power. When one of the gods is loosed from their bindings, a sacrifice is required to reseal them. Two gods are currently free, The Ladybug and The Black Cat, and so two sacrifices are required."

_"Sacrifices?" _Chloe repeats, because Marinette has gone into a state of mild catatonia and can't do so herself.

"Miraculous," Tikki says.

"The ultimate sacrifice for a wielder is never_ death."_ Plagg has joined her out in the open now, and the other kwamis are peering out at them from their wielders' pockets.

Master Fu inclines his head. "In order to reseal the gods, two Miraculous must be willingly renounced; made inactive and never again be wielded by their renouncers, whose memories of their time spent with the Miraculous will be removed." For a few seconds, silence. Then -

"That's a bit... OTT, isn't it?" Luka asks.

"The ultimate weapon requires -"

"The ultimate sacrifice, yeah, I heard you the first time." Sass floats around his head, frowning. Luka glances at Marinette and Damian, uneasy. _"So..._ who's gonna do it?" She tries to unstick her throat, but can't manage it. Damian's looking at her and not saying anything.

"Surely nothing has to be done _now,"_ Longg says, and Kagami rushes to add, "Yes, do we have time before anyone makes a decision?"

Master Fu answers the question with another question. "Have either of you noticed The Ladybug and The Black Cat pressing in on your consciouses?"

Damian shakes his head no; Marinette has, she thinks, remembering moments of feeling power rush through her like nothing ever had before in Nanda Parbat. She's unashamedly terrified by the thought of renouncing Tikki though, and can't admit the truth.

"No," she says. Tikki watches her knowingly. "Nothing."

He hums. "You have until that changes, both of you. Once it does, the sacrifices must be made."

"They got that part," Plagg says irritably. "You don't have to keep saying it."

"So we have until then to defeat Hawkmoth, Mayura _and_ the Hound," Damian says. He sounds fine on the surface but Marinette knows him better than that by now. He's as upset as she is.

"We might not have to worry about Mayura for much longer," Luka says. "Something was wrong with her during the last fight against Grimoiselle. She collapsed and no one's seen her since."

Acting like he hasn't just dropped a bomb on Marinette's head, Master Fu strokes his beard and says, "How curious."

"You think it has something to do with her Miraculous?" Kagami asks.

"I couldn't say. Not without knowing more first. But I do find it interesting. I'd like you all to keep an eye out for Mayura; let me know what happens if you see her again."

"I wonder if she's sick," Pollen muses. "Something about her always gave me the heebie jeebies. Perhaps it _is_ her Miraculous."

"So that's it?" Damian's expression is pinched; he's looking at Master Fu with barely concealed fury. "Marinette gives over years of her life to your cause, and your announcement that it's all going to be taken away is a mere footnote in one of your lectures?"

"There is nothing that can be done." The words are a knife to her heart, and she tries her best not to show it. Damn Talia. _Damn her straight to hell_. "The weapon has been used and now the price must be paid. Even _we_ cannot defy the universe."

Damian, for all his blatant distaste, can't think of a rebuttal and Master Fu's words pass over their heads like a prison sentence.

"So what are you going to do?"

Marinette's spine stiffens and she finally raises her head to meet the eyes of her team mates. "If being Ladybug has taught me anything, it's that evil only prospers in the absence of good, so I'm going to do what I've always done; I'm going to _act._ I'm going to stop Hawkmoth, I'm going to stop Mayura, and I'm going to _bring down the Hound."_

The clock is ticking.

* * *

#LadybugLives is number one trending.

"It has been for hours now!" Tikki says, scrolling through Marinette's phone. "The others are trending too, but none of them have as many dedicated tweets as the city's favourite heroine." Tikki winks at her and giggles.

Marinette dredges up a smile, because the kwami is trying her best. If she stops to think about her impending fate, she might just cry, so instead she has thrown herself into her various projects. Well, as best she can when it seems the whole world is watching her, like more kidnappers are going to leap out of the bushes, shrieking and yelling in tongues.

Grayson is snoring gently at her feet, she is in her bedroom at home, sat at her sewing machine working on a jumper. As she does this she wonders to herself the best way to actually catch the Hound.

Luka's idea of taking down the girl behind the helm isn't half bad (ignoring the part about killing her) but Lila can be notoriously slippery, skilled at making her lies seem reality and vice versa.

"Besides," Tikki adds when Marinette tells her this, "even though you know her identity, that's a two-way street. Somehow, Lila also knows _yours."_ The idea alone is enough to turn her knees to jelly, so it's a good thing she's sitting down. She wouldn't be surprised if attempting to expose Lila only led to her own identity being busted. Not that it's going to matter for much longer.

_Ouch_.

A tapping on her skylight snaps her from her reverie and Grayson jolts awake with a tiny _yip_ as Marinette stands to let Lynx Maleun in. He drops his transformation and then it's she and Damian as Plagg zooms over to join Tikki. Grayson watches the two kwamis with suspicion, but he seems able to tell that they're an inherent part of the universe, and he doesn't bark at them.

"Marinette. I came to see how you're doing." He seems unsure of himself. He has, ever since the night they returned to Paris and he had a breakdown right in front of her.

"I'm okay," she says quietly, and reaches out to take his chin in her hand, make him look at her. "I'm okay, Damian. We're going to figure this out."

"I had no idea -"

"I know you didn't." The certainty in her voice seems to bring some peace to him. "Nobody told you what combining the Miraculous would mean." She says it a bit too loudly, and the pointed tone in her voice makes Tikki and Plagg look up at them.

"We couldn't let you stay dead, kiddo," Plagg says, but he seems to squirm with guilt, and by the look on Tikki's face she knows what they have been talking about. "I thought -"

"You _didn't_ think," Tikki says. "That's the problem."

"Sugar cube -"

"You overgrown germ -"

_"Hey!"_ Damian snaps. "Stop fighting, both of you. It's not helping." Not wanting to be left out of the discussion, Grayson _yips_ again.

"Tikki, does the Miraculous grimoire detail the price of combining the Ladybug and the Cat?" Marinette asks.

"Yes, it's all written in there. But I can tell you myself -"

A knock on the trapdoor silences the kwami, and she and Plagg zoom out of sight just as it pushes open and Marinette's mother sticks her head inside. She's been doing this a lot recently, though Marinette can't really blame her; appearing at random moments to check in on her and make sure that she's still there. Her parents were never so diligent _before,_ and she isn't sure that she can get used to it now.

"Hello Damian," Sabine says, smiling pointedly. "I never heard you come in. Did you take the window, dear?"

"Um -"

"Well, no matter. Marinette, your father and I were just sitting down to dinner. Are the two of you joining us?" At the D-word, Grayson leaps to his paws and trots down the ladder, tail wagging. Sabine waits patiently for an answer.

"Sure, maman! That'd be great. Just uh - give us a minute?"

With one last knowing look, Sabine lowers the door shut and it's just them and their kwamis, watching silently. Breathing a small sigh, Marinette takes Damian's hand.

"It's going to be okay, Damian," she says. "I promise."

He doesn't reply; just takes her face in his hands and kisses her. No bells and whistles, what he means to say written plainly on his face. He struggles with it, she knows; the intimacy. But then there are times when he kisses her like the world is ending, and she worries that he thinks it really is.

* * *

Gabriel remains seated behind his desk as Lila gives him her report. He no longer bothers to hide his disdain for her, but she doesn't mind; she _does_ wonder whether he regrets giving her the Dog Miraculous.

"I managed to draw Ladybug into a fight," she tells him. "I had her beaten, Mr Agreste, I swear -"

"Then where is Ladybug's Miraculous?" he asks, holding his hands out like the earrings are supposed to materialise there. When they don't he gives her a _look_. "What is Ladybug's real name? Who is she? Can you tell me that? Had you beaten her, you could."

A muscle in Lila's jaw twitches. "I had her beaten," she repeats slowly, "but then Lynx Maleun attacked me from behind. Otherwise, I would have won."

He hums, unimpressed, and returns his attention to his computer. "Make sure it doesn't happen again, Miss Rossi. You make such a vicious right hand, I'd hate to have to take it all away from you."

As if you could, she thinks, clenching her teeth hard enough to grind them to dust. "Yes, Mr Agreste," she says, then takes a deep breath. "Is Adrien here? I could say hello!"

Gabriel's eyes flit back to her for a moment, monumentally disinterested. "Adrien is out. You may leave."

This time, she takes the hint and makes herself scarce. As she leaves she slips her phone from her pocket, ends the recording, and stashes it away again, smiling.

* * *

Luka tries his best to avoid talking about Mourning Star, but when Marinette comes to his studio before he's due for a show at the Engine Shed, effectively cornering him, he feels the fight leave and invites her to sit down.

"What did you want to know?" he asks, feigning levity. He has his back to her, his guitar to hand but facing his still-defunct mixing board as if staring at it is going to help somehow.

"I want to know why you never told me before that you can remember dying." He blinks. The iciness in her tone is shocking enough alone, but with that bombshell on top...

"How do you -"

"Because The Ladybug told me. You know, the one I'm supposed to be watching out for?" Slowly, he spins to face her. "Talia had me killed when I was in Nanda Parbat, Luka. That was why Damian had to use the ultimate weapon. You know that much already." He manages a nod, but in general he finds the best way to stave off his murderous urges is to not think about Talia al Ghul.

Had he been in Nanda Parbat with them, the woman wouldn't have been left alive.

"But what I haven't told anyone apart from Damian is that when I - when I _died_ The Ladybug held onto my soul. It told me a lot of things, including that you remember dying, because wielders apparently always do." He flinches more than once during her short speech, and tries to think of something to say. "So why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you have enough to deal with," he finally tells her, not meaning to sound so gruff and doing so anyway. "Because you have a tendency to blame yourself for things that aren't your fault, and if I told you I had died, you would never have forgiven yourself. You didn't need it any more than I did."

"But didn't you have someone to talk to?"

"Of course!" He plucks at a guitar string. "My therapist. As far as she's concerned, I was nothing more than a civilian victim. Now, she doesn't know that I remember dying, but she knows enough to know the attack killed me. She helps, Nettie."

Her lips twitch. _"Nettie?"_

"Shh, that's not the point." He begins picking out a tune, nice and slow, and watches her relax against the sofa. "The point is, I didn't want to burden you. Honestly, I'm kind of pissed at The Ladybug for spilling the beans."

She gives him an indulgent smile but still persists. "Really though, how do you cope with it?"

He indicates his defunct mixing board. "I found outlets. Ways of exorcising all that pent up emotion and bad blood. Know what I mean?" Plucking at his guitar strings, he starts to sing, "I'm still standing better than I ever did. Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid..."

Marinette has to sing through the lump that has grown in her throat to join in. "I'm still standing after all this time, picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind..."

And when he plays the Engine Shed that night, he plays the same song, looking right at her for the entire first verse, grinning and winking at her from the stage.

_"Once I never could hope to win, you're starting down the road leaving me again. The threats you made were meant to cut me down, and if our love was just a circus you'd be a clown by now."_

Around their table the club pulses with life, and though Marinette doesn't join in with the singing and the dancing, it still makes her smile.

Adrien is on stage too, and she hadn't believed it when Kagami told her, but she can't deny what her own eyes are showing her. He hammers away at the old piano the bar provides and looks more alive than he has done in months. When she sees him peer into the audience, she follows his gaze to see Elise Bisset in the back, sat with a drink and her husband, Louis.

Marinette chokes on her own drink and Damian averts his attention from the band to her. _"Are you okay?"_ Eyes watering, she indicates to Elise and watches his eyebrows shoot up.

As they're watching, Louis leans over to whisper something in Elise's ear and a thin smile breaks onto her face. She swats playfully at his arm and the relief on his face is evident. However this happened, she wants to know more, and she thinks her answers lie with Adrien, so when the band takes a break, she corners him.

He looks... _very healthy,_ which makes a change since she last spoke to him properly. "It is _so good_ to see you, Mari," he says, eyes wide as he takes her in. "Everyone was so worried!"

Trying not to think about Nanda Parbat, she says, "I can't believe Elise is here! How did you -"

"I've uh - I've visited her a couple of times, actually," he tells her. "Worked up the courage, and told her... you know, about _me."_

Her mouth hangs open. "Adrien -"

"She told me I'm always welcome, but I don't think she meant 'within two days' when she said it, so I invited her here. She said she hasn't been out since - Well you know, since before - _before_ -"

"Stuff happened," she finishes, and he nods. "It looks like she's having a good time. Are you?"

"Sure, I love the band! It's great to have fun playing again."

Marinette nods gently. "I'm proud of you, Adrien."

A flush creeps up his neck and he scratches at it. "Yeah, well..."

Before they can talk any more, Ivan appears from the crowd. "Hey, Marinette. Sorry, but we kind of need Adrien back. The next set's about to start."

"Take him!" she says, pushing the blond back towards the stage with a smile. "You're killing it, guys!"

_"Talk to you later?"_ he calls back to her.

_"Of course!"_ There's a light in his eyes that she hasn't seen in a long time, and it makes a knot in her chest loosen.

When he's gone she turns to survey the room, and eyes landing on the Robins' table, she makes her way over. Jason pushes a chair out for her as she reaches them, but their smiles are verging on pitying, which she doesn't like.

"Demon Brat's been telling us about this 'ultimate price' bullshit," Jason says. "You want us to help you out?"

"Yeah, I mean there's gotta be something we can do," Dick says. "It can't really be as strict as Master Fu says it is. We'll figure out a way for you to keep being Ladybug."

"That's not the part I care about," she mumbles, then adds vehemently, "I don't want to lose my memory. I don't want to forget -" She wavers and then decides on, "Any of it. I've been under so much pressure, for - for so long..." Tears are building in her eyes and the brothers begin to look alarmed, but she doesn't notice. "And now _this?_ After everything I've put up with, I have to lose my _memory_ as well?"

She thinks about the Marinette that she was before Ladybug; too scared of Chloe to stand up to her in class, not unpopular by any means, but generally friendless. She had tried to catch that first akuma, failed once and then... given up. What would it mean for her to become that girl again? Could she even _manage_ it?

"Will I even get a choice?" she mutters, looking around at the room at all she stands to lose. Adrien and Luka, up on stage and shining beneath the spotlights. Elise in the corner, finally starting to rejoin the world, even Damian himself, whom she would never have had the nerve to connect with were it not for her alter-ego.

"What's wrong?" Tim asks, smile vanishing.

"Talking to myself," she says. "So he's told you. Okay. Okay." The tears are still there but she's holding them back. She runs a hand through her hair and doesn't notice the brothers growing increasingly concerned.

"Where's Damian?" Dick hisses to Tim, who shrugs helplessly.

Marinette's chest is growing tight and Jason must recognise what's happening because he takes her by the shoulder and begins guiding her to the door, calling back, "Find the others. Tell them we've left."

The night air is cold and Marinette barely notices, but Jason's hands are on her shoulders, a grounding, steadying force, and he's telling her to _breathe in, one, two, three,_ and then _breathe out, one, two, three_.

Her shaking abates, and then it's just she and Jason out on the street, outside the Engine Shed. Passers-by move around them, shooting them irritable looks for blocking the path, but she doesn't pay them any attention and neither does Jason.

"You okay now, short stack?" he asks, brow furrowed.

"They're going to take my memory away," she breathes. "They can't do that."

"And they're not going to," he says firmly. Just then, Damian appears with her coat and bag. He shoves them at Tim, just behind him, when he sets eye on her.

"They're going to take my memory," she repeats, as if he doesn't already know that.

His expression darkens. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

"But you _don't_. Master Fu's right; even we can't go against the universe."

"That's _crap,"_ he spits. "We already have once."

"I need - I need to see the grimoire. I need to read it, cover to cover," she says. "I need to understand how this works. I need..." Her mind is beginning to race, so many thoughts fighting for dominance that she doesn't know where to start.

"You need to step back from this and let yourself breathe," Dick says firmly. "Where do you want to go? Back to your parents?"

"They're suffocating me," she says.

"Back to our place then," he decides. "You need to _rest,_ Marinette."

So she lets them take her home, and Alfred meets them at the door. He takes one look at Marinette, shoots a warning one at the brothers, and announces that he just so happened to be making a batch of hot chocolate. She sees through the lie - he doesn't put all that much heart into it really - but she appreciates it nonetheless.

While he disappears into the kitchen, Damian shoves his brothers to the side and leads her to the living room, where she curls up on the sofa. The boys follow them in.

Jason sighs. "Okay, so shit's fucked. Question is, what can we do about it?"

"I feel like we're going in circles," she says. "There's nothing -"

"There must be something," Damian cuts in.

Dick, who is still smarting over their leaving him behind when they split for Nanda Parbat, mutters, "We wouldn't need to do something if you hadn't ignored me..."

_"Oh,_ please Richard, don't start," he groans. "I've heard it enough -"

"Lets not get into this now," Tim says. "It isn't helping."

"I get it," he continues, as if uninterrupted, "we shouldn't have left without you. You've told me one hundred times since we got back -"

"And I was right to! What the fuck were you thinking, Damian?"

Marinette sinks her head into her hands as Damian rears up. "I was _thinking_ that we had to get a move on, because you were busy packing everything but the _fucking kitchen sink_ while my mother was whisking the most powerful jewels in the _world_ off to the _League's headquarters!"_

She starts to say, "Damian -" but the brothers are so busy spitting venom at each other that they don't hear her.

_"You wouldn't be in this position now if you hadn't run off on your own!"_ Dick roars. "I _told_ you -"

_"How dare you -"_

_"Stop screaming!"_ Tim cries.

_"What on Earth are you all shouting about?"_

Everyone goes silent.

Alfred stands there and looks at them, waiting, which she knows they won't beat him at, because he is English and to his people, waiting for things in queues is considered a cultural pass time.

Dick, who has known the man longest and is thus rightly scared of him, is the first to cave. "Master Fu's planning to wipe Marinette and Damian's memories," he says, breathing heavily and trying to act as if he and Damian hadn't just been at each other's throats.

"Is that so?" Alfred's eyes are sharp and his tone sharper. "Has he deigned to tell you why this is?"

Marinette is the next to fall. "In Nanda Parbat we used the ultimate weapon. We combined the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous which released the gods behind them, and now -"

"Repayment is required," he finishes, and then heaves a sigh. "Fu has declared that the two of you must be the sacrifices, has he?"

"Well, _yes_..."

When none of them say anything else, Alfred seems to lose his patience and he shares a rather condescending look around the room. "You forget, I was once a wielder myself. While the Green Viper was a different sort of hero to Viperion, or to the other heroes of today, I still had to live by the same rules that you do."

Her pulse quickens and she asks, "So how does that help us?"

He raises an eyebrow. "It helps because I know that there is a detail Fu has failed to mention to you; something like this happened once before, in the fight that forced me to forfeit the Snake Miraculous."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As an ending note, I normally hate to do this kind of thing, but we're so close to hitting 1,000 kudos on this fic, I was wondering if we might make it by the end of the year. We have two weeks or so left, so if you haven't done so before, perhaps you might consider leaving one? As always, thank you for reading.


	22. iii. Every Smile You Fake, Every Move You Make

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She follows them down a corridor towards the changing rooms, just catching the tail end of Tsurugi saying, "- going with me to see Elise next week?" before the door slams shut and she's stuck waiting around. Only a minute later, Queen Bee and Ryuko sail right past the corridor window.
> 
> Smiling, Lila puts away her phone. That's six out of eight, confirmed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOTD: The Police's "I'll Be Watching You". Thank you so much, to everyone who left a kudos on this fic! I thought I *might* get there by the end of the year, but we hit the milestone last week, after chapter twenty one went up, so thank you all. It means a lot.

The Green Viper is a dapper gentleman in a deep green suit, tailor-made by the looks of it, his young face handsome enough yet unassuming. Head to toe he screams sophistication, yet he is no ordinary Londoner.

"Evening Pennyworth," a passing civilian who knows him as a tailor says, tipping his hat to the younger man.

"Harwick, sir. Good evening," he says, even as he scans the horizon for the car coming to collect him.

The elderly gent passes him by and soon after a silver Aston Martin pulls up to the curb. Alfred almost smiles at the beauty but refrains from doing so, stepping forwards -

The cold metal of a gun barrel presses to his temple. His would-be assassin has appeared as if from nowhere. _Baron Maupertuis._ This is nothing of particular note, an occupational hazard that comes with being a wielder, but he doesn't like that the man he has spent the better part of two years trying to get the jump on has got the jump on _him_ first. It's just _rude,_ if nothing else.

His fingers twitch towards his pocketwatch but his assailant jams the pistol against his head harder and says, "Best you don't, cuz. We don't want any Second Chances here. Would you mind terribly if I shared your cab?"

"The DB5 has never had something as vile as you in it, Maupertuis," he says, meeting his vaguely concerned driver's eye through the glass. "It's liable to become ill."

Maupertuis chuckles. "You and your japes, Viper." The gun is still there, which becomes mildly worrying when his voice turns a deal cooler. "Let me in."

The words crawl out of his mouth before he can stop them. "If you insist."

"Oh, I do." He is smiling again, which is never a good sign.

There's a black Sedan creeping down the road towards them and he doesn't need to be a genius like Matilda Margot, the Tiger wielder and, incidentally, Alfred's paramour, to know the car's occupants are working with his old enemy. The Aston Martin's handle reads his fingerprints and only then does the backseat door click open.

Maupertuis gets in first and Alfred follows after, meeting the eye of his driver and saying, perfectly calm, "Loose the Sedan." At a break-neck speed, the man endeavours to do so. They lose the Sedan - but only for a moment.

"Do you really think it's going to be so easy, Viper?" Maupertuis chuckles, and then punches Alfred in the ribs before he can blink.

He gives as good as he gets in return and the DB5 turns into a moving battleground as the car weaves in and out of late evening traffic, the Sedan on its tail and the blaring of car horns providing a soundtrack. They tussle and fight and all the while, his driver barely flinches. Alfred wrestles the pistol from Maupertuis' hand and aims it at the man, finger on the trigger -

"You've been a scourge on this city for long enough," he hisses through the blood trickling from his nose into his mouth. "It's high time somebody put you down, _Dog."_

Maupertius chuckles again. Alfred really hates it when he does that. "I don't think your lover would agree to that plan anymore, cuz."

He goes cold. "Matilda?"

_"I have her, under my skin,"_ he sings, the madman. _"I have her, deep in the heart of me_. The Tiger works for the Dog now, Viper. How about that?"

Enraged, Alfred jams the pistol against Maupertius' head harder -

And the Sedan crashes right into the back of the Aston Martin, sending all three inhabitants reeling. Deep within his conscious, The Snake begins to stir, pushing at Alfred's mind, trying to take over, because the wielder is injured now, badly, and the Bug's wielder is too far away to help.

_"Turtle,"_ he groans into his headpiece, forcing his way from the wreck. He leaves behind the DB5 and the dead driver, and the unmoving body of Maupertius. "Turtle, I have a code green. Permission to execute order -"

_"Permission denied,"_ Wang Fu says._ "The Tiger is to be left until your target is removed from the equation. You have your orders, Snake."_

"I'm going to kill him," he declares, wheeling back round to the wreckage.

The driver of the Sedan has emerged now but the Snake wielder is nothing if not swift. He snaps the man's neck and then bares down on Maupertius just as his enemy begins to stir. Alfred Pennyworth is a veritable cocktail of hormones now; rage and adrenaline both swirling through his blood, firing him up and making him dangerous. His grip on his own conscious is beginning to slip, though he never realises as he and Maupertius re-engage in battle, bloodying each other to the point of no recognition. Equally matched fighters, they are both aiming for the kill.

For a long moment, it seems Maupertius will be the one to get it.

Then Alfred's vision whites out - And when his eyes open again, they're pitch black.

Maupertius is sharp enough to notice even through his rage-induced haze, and he wavers. "Viper? Old cuz, what's all this?"

"The Green Viper isn't here right now," says the god wearing the young man's skin, and Maupertius catches on to what has happened, horrified, scrambling back for safety - not that it will do him any good. _"But The Snake would like a word."_

In an apartment in Paris fifty years later, the Green Viper finishes regaling his tale to his young companions, all gripped in silence. When it becomes clear that he has finished, they all scramble to order their thoughts.

"So what happened?" Tim breathes.

Alfred, still gazing out of the window, eventually says, "I did not want to forget any part of myself, so _Sass_ renounced _me_ instead. A more complicated process, but we had the means at the time. I was erased permanently from his memories and my history as the Green Viper was erased from the world. None remembers it other than me, and Fu himself."

"Fucking hell," Jason says. "I'm - I'm sorry, Alfred."

The butler waits for Marinette to meet his eye to tell her, "History forgot my time and deeds as the Green Viper, but I did not."

"So what about Sass?" Dick asks. "If he saw you now, would he just not know you?"

"He would not recognise me at all." There's a sadness to him now that's almost too much to bear. Marinette tries to imagine herself in his place; a stranger to Tikki and vanished from the collective history of the world.

"I would remember..." she says, looking again at Alfred, who smiles at her with the compassion she so desperately needs.

"And this more complicated process," Damian says. "How complicated are we talking?"

"Kwami cannot simply renounce any wielder they choose. An off-shoot of the Miraculous' earliest days, I believe. A Shenfu is required; that is, a Chinese talisman of sorts, and the one Sass used was procured from Fu himself."

"Will he give us one?"

"You shall have to ask him."

They're still talking, but she has stopped listening. She will remember, even if no one else does.

* * *

Marinette has been told to relax, but it's not easy. While she and Damian sit at home, both equally restless, Lila Rossi is out there planning, working directly at Hawkmoth's side, and she doesn't like it one bit. They're in her parent's living room, and her maman is making food at the kitchenette.

"They're steam fried bao buns," she explains to a nosy Damian. "I'm getting in some practice for our Chinese New Year celebrations. There's going to be a_ lot_ of food." Mother and daughter share a look that speaks of years of experience.

"The house will flood with delicacies," Marinette says, lips quirking as she thinks back to Kung Food. Lord, that had been a long time ago now.

Sabine, catching onto her train of thought, shoots her a stern look. "You shouldn't joke like that. My uncle had the life scared out of him that day!"

"But luckily, Ladybug was there, I assume?" Damian asks.

Marinette nods. "And Chat Noir."

Missing the sudden heaviness in the air, Sabine sighs. "That Ladybug... I hope the girl is looking after herself. People were very worried when she vanished." The glamours of the Miraculous stop her from making the connection, but she still adds, "The same time as when you -" Breaking off abruptly, Sabine turns from her stove to Marinette. Her eyes are glimmering again. "Are you alright today, dear?"

"Perfectly fine, maman. Are you?"

"Oh, I'm - I'm - Just so glad to have you home!" She comes over to ruffle Marinette's hair and then presses a bowl of five spice peanuts into her hand as an afterthought. "Try them, both of you! Let me know what you think."

Around a small mouthful, Marinette says, "You know your food is always good, maman," to Sabine's retreating back. "You don't need me to tell you that."

"I'd like you to though, right now." Though her voice is perfectly steady, they know better than to assume that she is okay. Marinette passes the bowl to Damian and moves to wrap her maman in a tight hug.

For a while they stand like this in silence, and eventually she whispers, "I'm sorry I scared you," into her ear. This isn't the first time, and it likely won't be the last either, but if it needs to be said one hundred times over she'll do it each time without complaint.

"You apologise too much, dear," Sabine whispers back, voice thick. Her hand holds onto Marinette's like a lifeline, with a grip so vice-like it makes her wince a little bit.

"Kagami said the same thing the other night."

Latching onto a possible change in subject, Sabine asks, "Oh? And what is she up to today?" She's laying the interest on a bit thick, but no one could blame her.

"Tennis," Marinette says. "Chloe just bought a new pair of rackets." She sees Damian smirking as Sabine gently bats her hands away so she can retake control of her stove, and goes to join him again. "What are you and papa doing today?"

"Nothing special. Why do you ask?" She dusts off her hands and looks over at Marinette again. She's been doing this a lot, double checking to make sure that her daughter hasn't vanished from before her own eyes.

She doesn't actually know why she asked but she scrambles for an answer, landing on, "I wanted to play the new Luigi's Mansion with papa."

"I'm sure he'd love to. Right now he's busy down in the bakery though, dear. You'll have to wait until he's finished!"

"That's fine!" she says quickly, and when a familiar alarm blares through the air, it takes everything she has not to jump to action. At her side, Damian looks similarly under strain, but Tikki's insistent pressing against her leg roots her in place.

"Oh no," Sabine says, face draining of colour as she crosses to look out of the window. "Oh, you don't think we'll need to leave for a shelter, do you?"

"It's probably too soon to tell," Damian says, standing to join her. Marinette watches them from the sofa, heart hammering in her chest. "It might yet turn out to be nothing." He glances back at Marinette. _"Or,_ it could be everything."

* * *

Lila is sat with her car's heater on, blasted with hot air (which others might argue she expels a lot of herself) while she watches and waits. Across the road, Chloe Bourgeois is sat in her own Christmas present, a golden Renault Clio, with Kagami Tsurugi in the passenger seat. They've been there for ten minutes now without getting out and if they don't move it soon, Lila's car battery will die. At least she's warm.

Finally they move away from the pavement and Lila rushes to follow, thankful that her own car is more low-key than Bourgeois' own yellow eyesore.

"She's either Queen Bee or she's fucking blind..." she mutters to herself, indicating at the lights and watching the car vanish down the road. Barkk is hovering nervously by the gear stick, not saying anything. He never does; her kwami has none of the nerve that _she_ does. She bombs down the street the Clio drove down and sees it pulled into the car park of an indoor sports centre.

"They exercise together," she says, gripping the steering wheel tighter.

"Lots of friends do that," Barkk says.

She shoots the tiny dog a glare. "They aren't _friends,_ Barkk. Or they weren't, until they became wielders together." She'll get her evidence, of that she has no doubt.

Parking up, she leaps from her car and gives chase to the girls as subtly as she can. In the lobby, Bourgeois is ripping the plastic off a set of new tennis rackets. She passes one of them to Tsurugi and says something with a flip of her hair. Lila holds back a snort of disgust - just barely - and hurries after them.

Ducking behind a wall, Lila narrows her eyes and strains her ears, just in time to hear Tsurugi ask, "Nathaniel did _what_ with your old rackets?" before the girls are out of earshot. With a growl, she relocates, settling instead in the spectator stands for the tennis courts just as her targets enter the arena. Taking advantage of this new aerial view, she studies them, phone in hand and ready to capture her evidence.

The comb in Bourgeois' hair is just what she would expect a Miraculous to look like, and the same can be said of Tsurugi's choker. Another two members of Team Miraculous are as good as confirmed; now that she knows who Ladybug is, the rest are falling into place, just as she knew they would. She snaps a few photos in quick succession and lowers her phone again.

There are a couple of boys a few rows away talking about the Hound, and it makes a smile come to her face as she watches Tsurugi throw the ball up in the air and then bat it across the net to Bourgeois. The boys' subject of conversation quickly changes from the Hound to the girls on the court.

"I've never seen anyone play like that!"

"Do you think they're professionals?"

Lila's lip curls. They're both excessively sharp in their movements, not a hit missed between them. She would expect this of the fencer, but _Bourgeois? _No, it's only more proof that they are the Bee and Dragon. They don't even break a sweat, not once in all ten minutes of play.

When Lila's phone buzzes, she knows that she's awaiting her ultimate show of proof, and readies her camera; Mayura is about to attack. The alarms start to blare and Lila is in swift pursuit as the girls drop their rackets and vacate the court, running in the opposite direction to everyone else.

She follows them down a corridor towards the changing rooms, just catching the tail end of Tsurugi saying, "- going with me to see Elise next week?" before the door slams shut and she's stuck waiting around. Only a minute later, Queen Bee and Ryuko sail right past the corridor window.

Smiling, Lila puts away her phone. That's six out of eight, confirmed.

* * *

Luka and Nathaniel are on casual guard duty this morning; that means no Miraculous, no powers, they're just keeping their eyes out for suspicious activity. If anything, or anyone, attacks the city, they are the first line of defense until this whole mess with the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous is solved.

The only thing is, Luka has been talking non-stop for almost ten minutes now without his companion adding anything to the conversation, which is sort of a prerequisite to having a conversation in the first place. He looks down at the redhead, who yes, is watching his surroundings attentively, but who looks utterly miserable.

"What's wrong with you?" he finally asks, looking Nathaniel up and down again. "You haven't fought with Marc, have you?"

"No, nothing like that." He hesitates, before asking, "Do you really think Marinette and Damian are going to have to give up their Miraculous?"

"Not if we can help it." He grins and nudges Nathaniel in the side. "Come on, with three ne'er do wells out there abusing their own Miraculous, do you really think it's gonna be Marinette and Damian who have to go through with it?"

"The rules say the renouncement has to be willing. Do _you_ really think Hawkmoth, Mayura or the Hound will willingly do anything to help us?"

This gives Luka pause. "We'll cross that hill when we come to it."

"Which could happen any day now..."

"Mate, what is _with_ you? Are you normally so pessimistic or -"

"No, I'm usually just harder to hear, because Chloe's indoor voice is a hundred decibels louder than my shouting voice."

"That's fair."

The current philosophy being taken is that if Marinette and Damian don't do anything to stir the dormant gods within them, there's less chance of them breaking out, so to speak. So, when the alarm blares out it's Viperion and Fantasmo taking centre stage to face the sentimonster. The leading co-stars are not to make a move unless all hell breaks loose.

It's an anthropomorphised tree, by the looks of it, and it's rampaging through the streets destroying anything man-made within sight, or within whatever counts as _sight_ for a _tree with legs_.

Just as Viperion and Fantasmo round the corner to face it head on, weaving their way through crowds of people all dashing for the shelters, it is picking up a bus from its tail end and then throws it right into the Seine, passengers trapped within screaming for help.

_"Lets go,"_ Luka says, and he and Nathaniel leap into action.

There's a dual panic as they work to subdue the monster and concentrate their energies on the rapidly sinking bus. Emergency services have already gathered and they're working to get a rescue boat onto the water, but the bus is going under faster than it can be reached.

"What are we gonna do?" Nathaniel calls, flipping backwards at the last minute to dodge a swipe from one of the tree's zombified branches.

Luka's brain scrambles for an answer and fails to turn up anything useful. Just as he goes to admit this, a familiar voice cries, _"Air Dragon!"_ and he turns just in time to see Kagami, stood at the river's edge, dissipate into nothing before his eyes.

_"Viperion!"_

A branch _thwacks_ him into a shop front but he just cracks the glass and is pushing himself back to his feet as Chloe reaches him from the air. She lands, silver wings fluttering, and sets a stern look on him.

"Be more careful, _idiot_. That hit could have killed you!"

As they turn to face the sentimonster, he cracks a thin smile and says, "Me? Never. I'd get a second chance."

She scoffs and takes off into their air again, calling down to he and Nathaniel, _"Keep an eye out for the amokatized object!"_

"You'd think we've never done this before," Nathaniel says. "But I think I see it. There's a megaphone trapped in the tree's branches."

Luka zeroes his gaze in on the thing and has to agree. If it isn't that, he'll eat his harp. "Queen Bee," he says, putting a hand to his ear. "Your partner just spotted our target. I think he's due for a promotion."

"Yeah, I see it too," she says brusquely. "But I can't get close enough right now. It's watching me... I think."

Nathaniel is moving before either of them can blink, propelling himself up onto the monster and climbing higher and higher, ignoring Luka and Chloe shouting for him to _be fucking careful_. The tree creature thrashes, trying to throw him off, but Nathaniel clings on for dear life, and Chloe is hovering as close to him as she can get without being hit.

"Stupid kid," Luka mutters, mouth dry as he watches the Fox climb towards the prize. "I'm gonna kill him."

"Get in line," Chloe barks into her earpiece. "What the fuck..."

"Shut - up," Nathaniel grunts in between desperate jumps closer to the megaphone. "For fucks - sake -"

His hand closes around it, just as the tree thrashes again and he finally loses his grip. As he falls the megaphone goes sailing from his hand and Chloe zooms straight for her partner, amokatized object temporarily forgotten. She catches him just as it clatters to the ground and Luka breaks for it before the tree creature can settle down.

He's hit and slashed at by several thin branches on the way but he snatches the thing up, stamped with an environmental campaign slogan, and sprints back to a safe distance before he can be crushed. Once he's far enough away he snaps it in two and a purple feather comes floating out, which for the time being they store inside an empty jar. Chloe, busy berating Nathaniel for pulling such a stunt, chucks the jar at Luka's head but he doesn't mind; he has a thing or two he'd like to say himself.

"Geez, sorry parentals," Nathaniel says, rolling his eyes when he catches the older boy's stern look.

_"What did you just call me?"_ Chloe shrieks, as Kagami rejoins them.

She had utilised Air Dragon to rescue the bus, Luka is just now realising, and leans up against him, panting from the retroactive strain of bearing its weight.

"I'm fine," she keeps insisting. "Takes more than a bus to beat me."

"Well sure, but it was still a fucking _bus_, Kagami," Luka says, tightening the arm he has around her waist when she begins to droop. "God, why is everyone in this team so reckless?"

"When did you become such a _smother hen?"_ she asks, and he almost chokes on his own indignance.

"The bus aside, that seemed... remarkably easy," Nathaniel says as he and Chloe go to join them. The purple feather is innocuous in its jar, but they need to get it to Marinette for cleansing asap.

As if reading their minds from across the city, this is the moment when Marinette messages the group chat demanding that they visit her for a debrief_ immediately _(with three exclamation marks and a pink love heart tacked on at the end).

"If Mayura's really sick, I'd bet that was the best she could manage," Luka speculates, keeping an arm around Kagami as they set off for the Dupain-Cheng Bakery. "I mean, _I'm_ not complaining. I'll take ten pushovers like that to one proper sentimonster."

"Just be glad it wasn't an akuma," Chloe groans. 

"And pray that it says that way," Kagami says. "The less trouble, the better." 

As Chloe laments the loss of a second set of rackets to a sheepish Nathaniel (the cause of her first pair's demise), Luka says, "Babe, I think you just jinxed it."

"Whatever, smother hen."

"I'm not _\- Hey, shut up!"_

* * *

Adrien knocks on Elise's door, hoping he isn't too early. They had agreed to meet at eight o'clock, but after the sentimonster attack he hadn't felt able to wait around for the time to come, and left early. He takes his phone out to double check the time, doesn't check it, puts his phone away, remembers why he had it out in the first place and this time, cursing himself under his breath, actually does check. Yes, he's on about on time. Good.

With a small huff of relief he shifts the bag in his arms and waits. Louis Bisset answers the door seconds later.

His smile is as welcoming as his wife's always is, but he still asks, "I'm not being a bother, am I?" as soon as the door is all the way open.

"No, son, we love to have you." He ushers Adrien inside, closes the door, and adds, "We both owe you a great deal. You're always going to be welcome here."

The words are simple, but they mean more to him than he could possibly put into words, so instead he hefts up the paper bag and says, "I brought some things for you. There's this really nice coffee my father imports from Brazil which I don't think shops here sell, and some other things." When Louis thanks him and moves to take the bag off his hands, he snatches up the box in the top and turns to Elise, who has just come in from the bathroom.

"Adrien! I was wondering when you were going to turn up." She ruffles his hair as she passes him and asks, "How's your day been?"

He could bring up the sentimonster, but he won't. With anyone else, this might be one of _those_ questions, that's not supposed to warrant an in-depth answer, but between he and Elise they mean much more.

"It was good, thanks. I'm still seeing Doctor Blanchard, and he - Sometimes he's hard to talk to, but most of the time he's great. My day was okay. Not great, but... yeah. How about you?"

She shrugs a shoulder and admits, "It's been a little down, Adrien. Got better as it went on, but today wasn't as good as yesterday."

"I'm sorry," he says. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not with you," she says, gently but firmly. "You're a wonderful boy, but it isn't your job to be my counselor. Now, tell me what you have in your hands."

He startles and looks down at the box, only just remembering it. "Oh, well I knew I was coming, so I brought this cool jigsaw I found in a charity shop on my way." He holds it up and then pauses. "You said you like _puzzles,_ right?"

Elise nods. "That's right, Adrien, I said puzzles. Thank you. It looks like a fun one too!" she adds, trying to seem more lively, which he doesn't want her to do. She takes the box from him before he can say anything and heads to her dining table, where she places it down next to a pot of steaming tea.

"Are puzzles fun?" he asks. Behind her back, Louis shakes his head no, and they share a secretive grin before Elise turns back to them.

"They're _peaceful,"_ she says. "Not all entertainment has to be guns and cods and shooting people."

"But... But xbox is cool!" And he doesn't even _play_ COD.

Her smile is patient. "I'm sure it is, Adrien, but jigsaws are more my speed. That is, if you don't mind -"

"Oh no, I don't mind!" he says, scared that his arguing has scared her off, and then he'll have to go home, to his big empty mansion. _And you can play all the video games you want there, can't you Adrien?_ an insidious voice in his head whispers. _Alone_. He shudders. "I'd like to build a jigsaw with you, Elise. It's 3D, a globe."

"Then settle down! Louis, what's on TV tonight?"

Her husband, sat on the sofa, flicks idly through the channels. "A load of crap, that's what. I'm just going to watch Mr Bean."

Adrien laughs as Elise hums and says, "Remind me again how old you are, dear." He doesn't reply, because Rowan Atkinson has appeared and his attention is immediately consumed. The two at the dining table share an amused smile and slowly begin to construct their puzzle.

The apartment is warm, even as harsh winter winds barrage the building from outside, and the people inside it are happy, for the most part.

* * *

An icy wind stirs the night and ruffles the scarf around Nadja Chamack's neck as she steps out from the warmth of the TV studio into the cold. She blows out a breath and watches it crystalise before her, then rubs her hands together before completing the plunge and forcing herself further outside.

"Excuse me, ma'am? Can I talk to you?"

She doesn't even bother to repress her irritated sigh, but nonetheless turns to the source of her latest hold-up. It's a girl.

"I'm sorry, young lady, but I have to get home," she says. "My daughter will be wondering where I am."

"I know! I'm sorry, ma'am, I just hoped I could have a minute of your time." The girl is smiling hopefully, blinking big doe eyes, and she feels her resolve crumble.

"What can I do for you?" she asks, plastering on a patient smile.

"My name is Lila Rossi, Ms Chamack," the girl says, holding out a hand for her to shake. She does, and the girl grips onto it with surprising strength, going on to say, "I wanted to know if you were interested in running a piece on one of the Miraculous wielders." Her smile has become frighteningly sharp, but Nadja is too stunned to notice. "I know them, you see, and I think all of Paris would be very interested to hear what I have to say."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, Hannukah, or if you haven't had a holiday to celebrate, a happy break! Did you all find what you were hoping for under your tree? I hope so! I got the only thing I asked for: the complete Adam West's Batman boxset, so guess what I've spent my entire break doing?
> 
> Lastly, I wish you all a very Happy New Year.


	23. iii. I'm The Bomb & I'm About To Blow Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel straightens his necktie, and takes a moment to consider his next move. But only a moment.
> 
> He pours his energy into a white butterfly and watches it turn purple. "There's a woman out there somewhere who was once of great use to me," he muses, releasing it and watching it flutter out of the window. "Fly to Mourning Star, my little akuma, and evilize her."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOTD: Pigeon John's "The Bomb". Otherwise known as Lila's theme song.

Marinette has dreams about death. It is now something that she has known intimately, something that lingers at the back of her mind and occasionally pushes at it, attempting to break out. She suppresses this death with all her might, every time, but it reminds her of what is coming. What waits for her in the darkness; in her _own_ darkness.

"You linger on it too much," Luka tells her the morning after Alfred's sorry tale. They walk side by side back to those same apartments, this time to seek Master Fu. "When you start to think about it, find something else. Your sketching, sewing, anything that isn't _that."_

"It's not as easy as you make it out to be," she can't help but pout, looking at the ground. 

"True," he admits easily, "but it's also not as hard as _you_ make it out to be. Next time you start to linger, text me, beep me, if you wanna reach me."

She shoots him a flat look which he returns with a zeal-filled one of his own. "That was _terrible."_

"I'm being serious," he says. "Look past the awesome jokes and see what I'm trying to tell you. You're not alone in this, Nettie." The assertion steadies her heart rate as they reach the apartments, and Luka glances between she and them. "You're sure you don't want me there?"

She shakes her head. "The room's going to have enough opinions in it with Damian alone. I'll text you later, to say how it went."

Inside, Damian meets her halfway up the stairs and they head for Master Fu's temporary residence together.

"My brothers are there already," he says, taking her hand and yanking her up the stairs. He's agitated again, restless. He's just eager for answers, she knows, but it's hard not to be a bit concerned.

Everyone is seated when they walk in and the atmosphere is congenial enough, but she knows Master Fu; he can be a shady bitch when he wants to be and the Robins would have no idea. They look relaxed enough and she in turn feels herself unwind a bit.

"Marinette," Fu says, smiling benignly at her. Wayzz hovers around him in the background, and Tikki and Plagg are quick to join his side. "Damian, won't you both sit down?" He indicates the twin seat directly opposite him.

"We've been trying to explain what's going on," Tim says as they get comfortable. Well, as Marinette does. Damian does nothing to hide his constant low-level hostility.

"Indeed they have," Fu agrees. "Can I offer you both a cup of tea?" She notices the china cups placed in front of the three Robins; Dick's is the only one that has been drunk from.

"No, thank you," she says, suddenly very nervous. "I'm here because Alfred was telling me about the day he stopped being the Green Viper. And _why_ he stopped..."

Recognition clicks into place. "And you wish to know why I have not offered either of you the same get out clause."

"Your old age hasn't slowed you down that much then," Damian says snidely, and she drives her elbow into his side.

Fu is unruffled. "I did not offer you each a Shenfu because I _cannot_, Marinette," he says, firmly but not unkindly.

"I don't understand..." Tikki mumbles.

"A Shenfu of the sort we would require exists only in Tibet," he says. "The Order, at its height, combed Asia North to South, East to West, and collected them all together in one place."

"The temple?" Marinette guesses.

"But then how come the old Snake had one?" Plagg asks.

"I gave Alfred the last Shenfu that I had saved when the temple fell. Any that remain, I'm sad to say, lay trapped within the remains." An idea pricks Marinette all of a sudden as Fu continues, "Believe me, were there any alternative to you both renouncing, I would suggest it, but I cannot see one."

"Well couldn't we head out there?" Dick asks. "C'mon, there's only so much jungle in Tibet."

"'Only so much jungle', Dick?" Tim repeats flatly.

Fu still shakes his head. "You must be a wielder to enter the temple itself, and I myself am now far too old."

"Well..." Jason shrugs and looks around at his brothers. _"We're_ available."

"To be _wielders?"_ Damian asks incredulously.

"What, scared you're not gonna be the Chosen Wayne anymore, Brat?" Jason asks, as Plagg zips around his wielder's head, enticed by the thought.

"I don't want to forget you, kid, but it's better than the alternative..."

Fu shakes his head. "Even if you _were_ wielders, the temple has been lost for too many years now." But technology has come a long way since Fu last looked, she knows, her mind on the screen Chloe had installed in Orange Grove that Marinette had spent so many hours poring over before Talia came. "I long ago accepted that my temple is - lost forever."

She hesitates before saying, "But that's not right." He looks confused, so she goes on to say, "I've been looking for the temple for months now, you see. Since before the League. The thing is... I think I found it."

* * *

"Do you think I'm right?" she asks Damian later, when they're alone in his apartment on the top floor. "About the temple, that is."

"If it's there, my brothers will find it," he assures her. "Father - well, he isn't really sure what's going on, but he's willing to help us out, of course, so he's sent one of our best Batplanes over for them to use. Built in scanners most national armies can only dream of." His smirk is repressed but somehow brimming with familial pride nonetheless, and Marinette's shoulders relax.

"Hopefully you're right," she agrees. "If the temple is where I think it is, all they need to do is find the Shenfus and bring them back here." Restoration can wait, she almost adds, but then realises that however this ends, she won't be working to restore the Order like she had once hoped of doing.

"I wonder which Miraculous Fu will grant them each," he says, lips twitching.

"You mean you wonder if Tim will get the Pig," she says knowingly. "Don't be so childish! To wield the Pig would be an _honour_, not an insult."

He nods. "But it would still be _funny_, Marinette. It'd serve Drake right."

Her phone buzzes; it's Chloe - Then also Luka, Kagami, Nino, Nathaniel,_ her own mother_. Eyes bulging, she dismisses the slew of notifications and reads, _turn on the news. the bitch is on TV_.

"She's trending too," Damian says, on his phone as she scrambles to find the remote. "What's she done now?"

It's Nadja Chamack's show that the Hound has co-opted, and the newsreader has a glaze to her eyes that makes Marinette think the Hound has brought her into the pack. The villain sits there, calm and smiling, overwhelmingly dangerous.

"Thank you for having me, Nadja," she says, preening beneath the heat of the stage lights. This is her dream, Marinette realises, with a sudden sinking feeling. "I'm here today because I have something very important to reveal to you all, people of Paris."

"Oh god," Marinette moans, backing away from the TV until her back hits the wall. It's all she can do to stop herself from sliding down it to hit the floor. _This is it this is it this is it, she's going to tell everyone, oh god_ -

The door bursts open and Jason appears as a glaring Damian grips the remote so strongly the plastic cracks and splits.

"What the fuck is going on -"

Damian shushes him as the Hound says, _"Ladybug -"_

_"No!"_ she cries uselessly, leaping forwards.

"- I hope you're listening." The Hound's smile is cruel, knowing and utterly Lila. "Because I have, in only a few months, achieved something that you have been working towards for years."

"What?" Damian asks, glare turning confused as Jason places a steadying hand at Marinette's back.

_"Gabriel Agreste..."_ All of Paris sucks in its breath; Marinette does; Damian does beside her. So too does Adrien, who is beginning to frown. "Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth."

The world goes silent, to start with. Then, slowly increasing like the hum of an approaching wasp swarm, it begins to react. The Hound's words sink in and people turn to each other, asking, "Did she say what I think she just did?" _"Gabriel Agreste?"_ "No, it can't be!"

But the Hound has evidence which she happily presents to her viewership, which renders denial out of the question; yes, Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth. She has brought with her a voice recording, and it's damning.

_"I managed to draw Ladybug into a fight. I had her beaten, Mr Agreste, I swear -"_

"Wow, it really is him, isn't it?"

"I can't believe it. I _refuse_ to believe it!"

_"Make sure it doesn't happen again, Miss Rossi. You make such a vicious right hand, I'd hate to have to take it all away from you."_

"Miss Rossi? But does that mean -"

"That's the Hound's real name? Do you think she knew she was going to be exposing herself at the same time?"

_"Is Adrien here?"_ the Hound, Miss Rossi, says eventually. _"I could say hello!"_

The voice that is still unmistakably the fashion mogul's says, dispassionately, _"Adrien is out. You may leave."_

"Adrien?"

"His son, the model. You don't suppose _he_ was in on it, do you?"

In the home of Elise and Louis Bisset, Adrien Agreste stares at the screen, expressionless. Elise had too been captivated by the Hound's Earth-shattering reveal, but at the last rushed to switch off the TV.

Now, the unlikely duo sit side by side in the silent apartment, frozen, as Paris engulfs itself in chaos.

* * *

Gabriel sits behind his desk, and he is alone. Nathalie is running errands, Gorilla with her, he doesn't know where Adrien is, and Emilie, his wife, lies lifeless in a chamber beneath his mansion. When the police arrive, she will surely be found.

Emilie.

The reason for all of this. The one who introduced him to the Miraculous, who helped him procure the Butterfly in the first place. Heavens, how she had looked when first she divulged to him her greatest secret. As the Peacock she had been a vision, a sight to behold. Nathalie, despite her feelings for him, could never come close. In comparison she was nothing, and Gabriel had proven this time and time again as he allowed her to risk her own health in the pursuit of Emilie's life.

He would let Nathalie sacrifice herself if it meant bringing Emilie back to him. He would let _anyone_ do that. Now, the closest he has been in years to being able to hold her again, his dream lies in smoking ruins before him.

Lila Rossi, the girl he bestowed the Dog Miraculous to, gleefully tears his life apart, and smirks into the camera as she does it.

_His vicious right hand, _indeed.

He stares at his screen, watching the girl who was elevated by him destroy it all, everything he has worked for. Her actions are so vast that he cannot even begin to quantify all of the ramifications yet. Nooroo mutters to himself in a non-stop stream of anxiety as in Gabriel's mind, the realisation truly sinks in and his chest burns. Rage is building within him, and he plans to unleash it all. On the Hound, on Paris.

On whomsoever attempts to get in his way.

Beneath the mansion, Emilie sleeps in eternal rest.

"Oh, master," Nooroo wails, wringing his paws as Gabriel's expression begins to darken. There, in the distance - police sirens, growing closer. Coming for him. They're going to find Emilie.

"That vain little _wretch,"_ he snarls, leaping to his feet and moving at once to enter his lair.

Inside, as he faces Paris through the stained glass window, he straightens his necktie, and takes a moment to consider his next move. But only a moment.

"I'm going to make her regret ever having risen against me," he says. "I'm going to _destroy_ her. Nooroo, _darkwings, RISE."_

The kwami's moans and protests are cut off as Gabriel is replaced by Hawkmoth. He clenches his fist, He pours his energy into a white butterfly and watches it turn purple. Outside, the sirens grow closer. Some may already be at his gates.

He shall have to act fast.

"There's a woman out there somewhere who was once of great use to me," he says through gritted teeth, releasing it and watching it flutter out of the window. "Fly to _Mourning Star,_ my little akuma, _and evilize her."_

* * *

_"Find Adrien,"_ Marinette snaps the moment Nathaniel and Chloe enter the apartment.

"I've been looking," she says. "He isn't at home -"

"We had to go in through his bedroom window, transformed, just to get inside," Nathaniel interrupts, fidgety with nerves. "The press have the mansion surrounded."

"What do you expect, Nathaniel? They're vultures," Chloe mutters, on her phone and dialing for someone. The blonde's eyes are wild and searching. She looks ready to tear Gabriel apart limb from limb, and if given the chance, Marinette won't stop her.

On her phone too, trying desperately to reach Nino, she's being pulled in so many directions at once that her head is spinning. "We have to know where he is. He's vulnerable, he could do anything right now. I don't want him doing something stupid like going after Gabriel himself -"

"The Hound's left the TV studio," Luka says, barging into the apartment next with Kagami on his tail.

"Once she finished saying what she had to say, she must have run," she concludes. "None of the staff know where she went; she vanished."

"But she has to have detransformed, at least for now," Marinette deduces, "or they would all still be under her spell. That makes her vulnerable too, for the moment."

"She might have let them go," Luka says halfheartedly, but they all know that's unlikely.

"There's no chance she'll go back to Hawkmoth, is there?" Nathaniel asks.

"Not on her life," Damian declares, having just stormed into the room where he had been sorting his brothers out. "She'll stay far away from him from now on. Until she's certain he can't hurt her, that is. She may return to brag after the fact."

"I can't get hold of Nino; his phone's engaged," Marinette says. "Has _anyone_ who might know where he is been contacted yet?"

Chloe shakes her head. "Nathalie's not answering, neither is the Gorilla."

Then Marinette's phone starts ringing and her heart leaps - until she sees Alya's name on screen. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she answers.

"Yes?"

_"Have you heard the news? _God, it's _unbelievable!" _she cries, gushing in a way that's at once painfully familiar and inappropriate. "Nino and I are out looking for him now, but we haven't found him yet. Can you _believe _it was _Gabriel _all along?"

"Can you believe Lila is the Hound?" she asks, bringing her old friend's breathless ramblings to a halt. Her tone is icier than she intended, but it seems to work.

Alya is silent for a moment. "Girl, I -"

"Save it for later," she snaps. "Just keep looking for Adrien."

_"We're on it, dude!"_ she hears Nino call. _"We'll keep you posted!"_

"Tell Nino same," she says, looking around at her grim-faced friends. "And get anyone from our class who you trust involved too. Have as many people searching for him as you can."

"We've already got Juleka and Rose out looking," Alya says. "I'm working on the others. Marinette, girl, I'm -"

"Save it."

_"No._ Really, I'm - I'm sorry."

It takes her a second to reply and her eyes are already stinging. "We'll see you guys later. Good luck out there."

_"You too."_ And Marinette hangs up before Alya can say anything more.

"So what do you want to do?" Damian asks her as she dismisses an incoming call from her grandmother.

She looks up at him, gripping her phone, brain frozen for just a moment before everything kicks into gear. "We need to find the Hound - I mean Lila, or - just, before she does anything else. She may not stop with just taking down Hawkmoth. She's going to come for all of us."

He nods and turns a sharp look on Chloe and Luka. "Queen Bee and Viperion each have powers that should be of use against her, if you succeed in finding her."

Chloe bursts, "But what about -"

"We're on it," Luka says, sending Marinette a nod as he drags a reluctant Chloe from the apartment. "They'll take care of Adrien..." she hears him tell her before they're gone from earshot.

"What do you want from us, Marinette?" Kagami asks, considerably steadier than Nathaniel, who looks half-ready to shake apart.

"I don't know," she says, screwing up her eyes and trying to scrounge up a plan from amidst the panic. "Uh -"

When the door opens again she at first thinks it's Chloe and Luka, but it's not; Tim looks mightily pleased for a man in the midst of a national crisis, but she understands soon.

"We have the Justice League's backing," he declares, clutching his phone in his hand. "Bruce saw the broadcast and he agrees shit's about to go down. He says he doesn't care whether Queen Bee likes it, he's sending some of the League over here as back up."

A balloon expands in her chest. _"Really?"_ she cries. "Who's coming?"

"Diana Prince, for one," he says. "We're still confirming the numbers, but Clark Kent might be on his way as well. Oh, and Damian? I think Jon's trying to talk his dad into letting him come too."

"Oh _Christ,"_ he says, face screwed up with disgust.

"Wonder Woman?" she repeats faintly. "Superman?"

"So far," he nods, oblivious to her increasing internal panic. "I'll try to keep you updated, but we're flying out for this temple asap." She notes for the first time the Rooster Miraculous he wears, but there's no time for that.

"Okay," she says as strongly as she can. "Thanks, Tim. Good luck."

He salutes her once before leaving, and they're back on the issue without taking time to breathe.

"Holy _crap,"_ Kagami breathes, and then shakes her head, forcing a stern expression in place again. "Where were we?"

"What we can do," Nathaniel mutters, and Marinette looks at him oddly, supposing that the upset of the Hound is what's causing his weird behaviour.

"We already have people out looking for Adrien and for Lila," Damian says, "so the next thing we need to think about is -"

"Hawkmoth," Marinette concludes, and he nods in agreement. "He's probably going to lash out now, like a dying animal. He's going to try and create as many akumas as he can, I'll bet."

"Yes, or at the least, a single extremely powerful one," he says. "So the question is this; who might he attack?"

There's a moment of hush as they all consider the answer, but it's Nathaniel who provides it. "Mourning Star," he murmurs, and Marinette's heart turns to ice.

"No," she croaks on instinct. "Not her. Even he wouldn't -"

_"Dying animal,"_ Damian repeats, lifting a brow.

"The boys are right, I think," Kagami says. "Nathaniel and I can go round to Elise's apartment now, if that's what you think would be best." Marinette nods, heart beginning to beat out of her chest.

She's so panicked that she stands no chance of pinpointing its epicentre; she is made of nothing _but_ panic right now. Panic, and a suspect pain zipping across the back of her head, which goes, for the moment, unnoticed.

"Right," she says. "You guys do that, protect her." And at that exact moment, an alarm tears through the city, rendering them all still.

“_AKUMA ALERT. AKUMA ALERT. PLEASE RETREAT TO A SAFE PLACE UNTIL THE THREAT IS NEUTRALISED._”

* * *

Adrien Agreste is dry-heaving over the toilet in Elise Bisset's small bathroom, eyes watering, bile stinging his throat. _It can't be true, it can't be true._ But somehow he knows that it is, like the truth was always there, dangling in front of his face, a constant taunt from the man whose DNA he shared, and this is the clincher, because it was _him_.

All along, all his suffering, all of it was _Gabriel_. Not just the isolation, no, but the sleepless nights and the broken bones he acquired in the fighting of his akumas, the trauma of Mourning Star and the pain of leaving his old life behind after her.

"It was _him,"_ he croaks, blinking fast to try seeing through the screen of tears. "I'll kill him. I'm going to -" He cuts himself off, gripping the porcelain tighter, so bombarded with emotion that he's shaking, teeth chattering. "I'm going to -" His head is spinning, his knees give out.

Elise stopped trying to get him to open the door a few minutes ago but he knows that she's out there, pacing and scratching at herself, sick as well, to finally know the face of the man who hurt her in such an unforgivable, unthinkable way. To know that she has been harbouring that man's son in her home.

That man's son, in her bathroom, emptying his stomach while she paces outside the door.

His head is killing him. _God,_ it's painful, and the constant _pinging_ of his phone doesn't help, so he takes it out of his pocket, to throw it out of the window or down the toilet, or smash it beneath his heel -

When Elise shrieks at a blood-curdling decibel and Adrien springs to his feet and sprints back into the living room, to see a purple butterfly flapping straight for her, where she cowers against the wall, still shrieking unintelligibly. Her neighbor begins knocking on the door a second later, panicked by the noise, but no one pays him heed.

In the moment, it's a no-brainer. Adrien sees the butterfly, rage overflowing to the point that his mortal body cannot possibly contain it all, _he's going to burst_, and this is _Elise_. He knows what the akuma will do if it reaches her.

So he stops it himself, throwing his body in front of her and _feeling it_, the moment when the butterfly hits his phone and the hatred compounds into a creature that Hawkmoth stands no chance of controlling.

The eyes glow green and oh, how that blond hair gleams. It does this on its own, the akuma a breathtaking sight to behold, beautiful and terrible all at once. He is perfect and dreadful, and when Hawkmoth, aghast by the realisation that his son is with _Mourning Star,_ tries to revoke the power he has granted his own son, he is harshly pushed back.

He looks like the physical embodiment of everything it means to be French, princely, proud and tall, dressed all in white and wearing stripes and sashes in the tricolours of their nation. He is perfect, a model, and deadly dangerous.

As Elise cowers on the floor behind him, shocked into silence but gasping for breath, a hand clutching her chest, the akuma straightens himself; his lips press into a thin line.

"My name is Châtiment," the akuma says, "and you won't take _this_ away from me, _father."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Châtiment is French for Retribution. Also, I've never liked the term "evilize" that they use in the show, but I didn't want to further complicate things by changing it up, so eh.
> 
> I'd like to take a moment to let any Australian readers know that my thoughts are with their country right now. Please, keep yourselves safe.


	24. iii. No One Dared Disturb The Sound Of Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What will you do now?"
> 
> Marinette puts a hand to her chin, thinking, then finally says, "I'll call out the Miraculous. All of them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOTD: "The Sound Of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkle.

When the alarms stop, a blanket of silence falls over the city.

To begin with, Kagami thinks something catastrophic must have happened; that the world is simply hanging in the aftershock, waiting to fall apart, but then they realise that _nothing_ has happened.

"It's a ghost town," Nathaniel says, glancing around over the rooftops uneasily. "It's like everything's just... stopped."

No screaming, no toppling buildings signifying incoming doom. The world is still in a way that makes her deeply uneasy.

"We need to find Elise," she says, continuing on her path for the woman's apartment. "Come on, Fantasmo. Something might have happened."

He does follow, but at a slower pace, and she can see him jumping at every random sound. The streets below are empty, civilians having by now mostly sequestered themselves safely away, so no one else is around to witness it, but Kagami knows that something is wrong with the other wielder. The silence in between them is stilted, because Nathaniel and Kagami are naturally the members of the team who speak the least.

As they come upon the apartment block and find it perfectly in tact, the fencer regards her companion steadily and asks him, "Is there something that the rest of us should know, before we go up against a potentially deadly enemy? Why are you so nervous at the moment? You have been ever since you came home."

Nathaniel looks round at her. "That's just it," he tells her. "After everything that happened... It's just like we've all gone back to normal, but I can't do that. It's made me reconsider everything. What we do..."

"You aren't thinking of quitting, are you?"

He looks straight ahead again. "I don't know. I don't know what I'm thinking right now, which is part of the problem. I'm completely messed up. Even Marc knows something's wrong, and he doesn't know about _this."_

"He doesn't?"

"Well, maybe he suspects... But I'm not going to put any of us at risk, Ryuko. You don't need to worry."

"Make sure I never do."

She busts down the door to the building and they race up the stairs, littered with forgotten possessions people from the building had thought to bring with them but had been too scared to go back for when dropped. Nearing Elise's floor, they crash into someone on the way.

"Ma'am, you need to run to a shelter -" she starts to say before recognition hits. _"Miss Bisset!"_ she cries. "You're - You're okay."

"Yes, I'm fine, but Adrien isn't," the woman says. _"He's_ the one who was turned! The akuma took over _Adrien_ instead."

_"Agreste?"_ Nathaniel repeats.

"Yes, _Agreste_. So you need to act fast." Elise's eyes narrow. "His life depends on it."

* * *

Marinette stares out the window of Master Fu's apartment, scanning the horizon for Tikki-knows-what. The akuma - _not_ Mourning Star according to Ryuko's sporadic message - Lila, Hawkmoth himself... Perhaps the help from America will arrive in the blink of an eye and she will have the the help of real superheroes to face whatever threat this is.

"They're on their way to you as we speak."

She turns back to the screen, where Bruce Wayne is speaking with she and Fu in conference call. It was Alfred's idea.

"How long will they be?"

"With you in a two hours. They're coming on the fastest craft I have to offer," he assures her. "Will Paris hold out until then?"

Looking out the window again, she says, "I think so," but without much certainty. "Lila's gone into hiding since she broke the news."

"That, or she's gathering forces in silence," he says. "That's what she does, right? Hypnotises people?"

"Yes, so she might be doing that," Marinette says, massaging her forehead. "The Hound, plus potentially an entire pack of followers by the time I manage to find her, plus this akuma, whoever it is, and Hawkmoth too. A triple threat." Tikki help her, her brain is pounding. As if sensing her stress, the kwami nestles into the hollow of her throat in a comforting gesture.

"You'll be okay," her small friend whispers. _Right._

"This new akuma presents our most immediate threat," Master Fu says. "They are as of now a completely unknown element. They could be capable of anything, and as this is Hawkmoth's saving throw, they will likely be extremely volatile." The unnatural silence outside the window would suggest otherwise, but she doesn't argue.

"In my opinion, you need to wait out the storm that this new akuma is bringing, and then deal with the true threat before you think about the Rossi girl," Bruce says. He's putting her through her paces right now, but she knows she needs it; this plan can't be half-baked.

"Hawkmoth _is_ the true enemy," Master Fu says, inclining his head.

No. "The _true enemy_ will not wait out the storm," Marinette says, turning away from the window. "She's the one who brought the storm in the first place." Somewhere out there, in the form of either Lila or the Hound, her destiny lies in wait. "We need to act against her before she does any more damage."

"Resources are stretched thin enough, from the sounds of it," Bruce says. "How do you plan to achieve all of this with your current numbers?"

"I won't."

His critiquing gaze takes on a curious edge. "What will you do?"

She puts a hand to her chin, thinking, then finally says, "I'll call out the Miraculous. _All of them."_

* * *

In the busier, more congested parts of the city, civilians are still outside, pushing past each other in panic or frozen with confusion, most of them still hung up on the Hawkmoth revelation rather than thinking about the newest akuma threat. One girl has ripped off her _Gabriel_ jacket and set fire to it in the middle of the street, waving it above her head and screaming _"Fuck you!"_ to its designer.

_"Please, get inside!"_ Ryuko cries to the girl and the small, cheering crowd she has gathered. "The akuma could be here any moment."

Châtiment, observing the growing riot from a rooftop, is tempted to smile. _She has no idea._ He leaps nimbly from the roof and lands behind the two wielders trying in vain to herd the civilians into a shelter.

"He's here now."

His voice isn't raised but it's powerful, enough to cut through the crowd's chanting and jeering, and they all turn to stare at him. The girl holding the smoldering remains of the Gabriel jacket drops her jaw at the sight of him, then the smoking cloth, and takes several steps back.

_"Adrien Agreste,"_ one of them hisses. "He's been akumatized!"

They know who I am, he muses to himself, stepping closer as Ryuko and Fantasmo assume defensive positions.

"Stop where you are," the Fox demands, his mouth set in a grim line, but Châtiment knows that he's almost trembling with nerves.

"Do you think Hawkmoth did _this_ deliberately?" another asks quietly. "Was this part of the plan?" If Châtiment's hearing weren't impeccable, he wouldn't have heard it, but alas...

"Gabriel Agreste told Adrien nothing," Châtiment tells the man, standing with his hands clasped behind his back. "That is why I have taken this form. To ensure that he cannot hide from me again."

Rather than reply, the crowd scream and finally begin to disperse, running for their lives. There's no need for it, but there's no stopping them either. Oh well.

"Adrien." It's Ryuko, or Kagami Tsurugi, and she doesn't look happy. "Adrien, what happened? Talk to me."

Châtiment smiles at her. It isn't a happy smile - quite tinged with sadness in fact - but it doesn't scare her either. For all the power contained in his body, the akuma seems almost sedate. Doubtlessly this will change if he gets close to his father.

"Ryuko," he says. "You and I, we haven't spent much time together lately, have we?" He gestures around at the city. "When all of this is over, we'll have to fence together again. I miss it." Her eyes widen. "It has been too long since I fenced, and especially with you!" Her mouth works but her voice box doesn't; his smile becomes kinder. "Yes, Ryuko, I know who you really are. I know everything that you're thinking. This way, no one can obscure the truth from me again, you see."

"Adrien -" she croaks.

"But don't worry! I won't tell anyone. I used to be Chat Noir; I understand." And as if this mess couldn't get any worse, there it goes.

"I - I never knew that," she says, fighting to keep her emotions reigned in now, because Gabriel Agreste really does have his own reserved place in hell, doesn't he? "But if that's the case, then wouldn't you rather come with us now? We'll take you to Ladybug, she can get rid of the akuma possessing you -"

Nathaniel mutters, "Ryuko -"

"And you can help us assure Gabriel's arrest -"

_"NO!"_

The akuma's shout is so jarring after all of his silence that she steps back in shock. So distracted by the akuma's near-serenity, she has forgotten what he is right now.

Cursing herself, Kagami holds out her hands. "Alright, Châtiment, I'm sorry. I won't suggest it again -"

"You can't stop me from reaching my father," he snarls, "and if you try, I'll have to stop you as well. Don't make me do that, _Dragon."_

"Nobody is going to stop you," Nathaniel says, creeping forwards. Châtiment turns his gaze on the Fox, tilting his head to the side. His face seems open, but there's a slyness in his eyes which stops her from intervening.

"If you go now,_ straight to your father,_ we won't stop you." The Fox is keeping his mind curiously blank and Châtiment has to wonder what he's up to.

Deciding for a moment to humour him - Châtiment's foresight will ensure that he moves faster than Fantasmo anyway - he turns his back on them, and from the corner of his eye sees the wielder's hand move towards his conjuring instrument.

Faster than lightning, he disarms his opponent and takes advantage of his hidden power to create a distraction for them. He raises his mobile into the air -

It dials towards the heavens -

And the sky rips open, a tsunami of purple butterflies streaming out through the crack, raining down on Paris.

* * *

The akumas' targets aren't random by any means; all have been plucked out of a specific place and time and they flutter through the city in search of particular people. Those not already in shelters shriek at the sight and now break for cover. Most of them make it.

Some don't.

Mylene and Ivan, still searching the streets for Adrien, totally unaware of what has happened to him, don't even see the akumas coming; one moment they're picking their way through the abandoned streets, calling Adrien's name, the next they are gone, Stone Heart and Horrificator in their places. They are joined by Princess Fragrance and Reflekta after not too long, and the monstrous quartet turn to assist their new boss; Châtiment.

In another corner of the city, Nino's car weaves in an out of abandoned traffic, both driver and passenger wildly staring around for their target.

"I really don't see him anywhere," Alya says. "He hasn't been well recently. You don't think he's -"

_"No I don't,"_ Nino can't help but snap. "Depressed doesn't mean suicidal. I know he isn't in that kind of place."

"But news like this -"

"He's_ fine,"_ he says through gritted teeth, gripping the steering wheel so tightly his nails sink into the material.

Alya's quiet for a moment. "Sorry, babe, I don't mean - _Hey, what's that?"_

The sharpness in her voice has him pumping on the breaks in a heartbeat and a moment later, Alya has unbuckled her seatbelt and left the car. He hurries to follow her, where she's crouched over a blond body, lying still on the ground.

"Oh god..." he moans, thinking that it's far too familiar -

"It's not him," she breathes, slumping over. The tension rushes from Nino's body and he joins her in sinking to the ground, overcome with temporary relief. "Sorry, I thought it was him."

"Don't be," he says, voice muffled by his hands which cover his face. "I'm so stressed right now I'm seeing him everywhere too." He looks back at the person on the ground. "They okay?"

She nods. "I can see him breathing, but we should move him somewhere safer."

"Lay him across my backseat," he says, pushing himself to his feet.

"Right."

They get the Adrien lookalike safely situated and move to get back in the car themselves, when Alya goes still.

"Akumas," she breathes.

_"Where?"_

Already upon them, fluttering down from above like beacons of doom.

Nino cries out and rolls beneath his car for cover, but the akuma's purple wings soon appear in his line of vision, so he rolls out from the other side, crying, _"Alya?"_ Then the world around him freezes.

_"Nino."_

Or rather, he has frozen. He can't move, and when Lady Wifi saunters before him, he understands. "Stay right where you are. Châtiment is on a mission for the truth and we're going to help him get it!"

He wants to run, or preferably take his girlfriend by the shoulders and shake her, useless as he knows it would be. His frozen muscles are straining, desperate to move, but it's useless and he knows that the akuma is _right behind him -_

_"Stop right there!"_

His heart soars; it's Ladybug. When she scoops the akuma up into her yoyo he feels the pressure in the air change, like its evil had a tangible presence and the world is a cleaner place for its absence.

_"Ladybug,"_ Lady Wifi snarls.

The hero regards her old friend's state with sadness, but still demands she, "Release Nino. _Now."_

A sneer curls her lips but she does it anyway, saying, "He's no use to me like this anyway. I need other akumas if I'm going to properly help Châtiment take his revenge."

"Alya -" Nino begins, but she takes off before he can get any further. He watches his girlfriend bound off into the distance and anger begins to build in his chest. He turns to face Ladybug, opens his mouth to speak -

And she beats him to it.

"We're going to save Alya, Nino, _I promise,"_ she says. "We're going to save everyone, if you'll only agree to help."

Before he can ask her what she means, she holds out the Turtle Miraculous.

* * *

Elsewhere, things are going from bad to worse, as the new akumas made themselves known to the greater Parisian area.

_“None of this is actually happening!”_ Fantasmo cries, waving his arms at the panicking crowd. His words have no effect, which isn't particularly surprising. One of the hell creatures spawned by Grimoiselle bites the head off a statue of Napoleon and spits it out at Fantasmo; he dodges it by inches and goes back to trying to convince the public that nothing is wrong.

"He's the perfect akuma," Ryuko is overheard saying into her headpiece. "Silent, swift, utterly deadly. It's ironic, really. Hawkmoth's greatest creation is his worst enemy."

_"And_ his own son," Lynx Maleun says, his mouth pressed into a grim line. He's newly arrived to the scene and already taken stock of the situation. "Have there been any other sightings?"

A small family, dashing for one of the nearby shelters, stops long enough to call, _"We only just avoided him near the TV station!"_ before they're ushered inside by volunteer helpers.

"Is anyone near the station right now?" Lynx Maleun barks into his earpiece, adding as an aside to Ryuko, "Our numbers are too low for this, we need back up. Queen Bee, Viperion, _report. Are you near the TV station?"_

Nadja Chamack, the unwitting instigator of all this madness, shelters inside a telephone box outside the building, waiting in vain for the akuma the Hound used her to create to move on. He moves gracefully, perfectly, so much so that he seems inhuman as a result.

“Is that a gun?" the receptionist sheltering with her whispers, voice cracking. "He has a _gun?_ Isn’t that illegal?”

“I don’t think he really cares right now, Sophie..."

The akuma moves past them, paying no heed, though he can hear them perfectly well, and their thoughts about him even moreso. For all of their opinions on Adrien Agreste, none of them are correctly predicting his moves. He dumps the gun in a bin he passes though; he only had it because he disarmed a police officer trying to shoot him. He is not a violent akuma.

_Yet._

When, in amongst the mash of minds all panicking and grasping for some semblance of certainty or clarification, he hears his childhood friend in the mixture, the most steady and focused for miles around, Châtiment stops short. He zeroes in and concentrates.

Queen Bee and Viperion are looking for Lila Rossi, as Queen Bee is explaining to the person on the other end of her earpiece. They're looking for the Hound. The girl who lit the powder keg and ran before it blew. It's a noble cause, and he almost leaves them to it -

Until Viperion says to Queen Bee, "What if we find Châtiment? You're Adrien's friend, how do you think we should handle him?" Then he decides to drop in.

"Handle me?" he repeats in a light, joking tone that belies the way they both tense up. "Why Viperion, you can handle me any way you'd like."

Queen Bee gapes at him for a moment, taking in her friend in his new form and then she rushes him. In the moments before their bodies collide he's hit with a wave of such genuine relief that he doesn't stop her from clinging onto him.

"Adrien!" Nor does he correct her now. "I've been so worried about you! Please, come with us now. We're going to help you." By removing his powers, she means. He doesn't reply.

The Snake is watching him much more warily than his companion, waiting to see if he is going to lash out, most likely, but there's no need; Châtiment won't hurt anyone except for Gabriel, who he is going to hurt most grievously.

Looking over Queen Bee's head at Viperion, he says, "I enjoyed our time together on stage a lot. It helped me, but I think that was your plan, wasn't it? Thank you." He smiles, though he doesn't experience any of the emotions that would usually evoke a smile. The one he wears now is purely for the sake of the wielders, because he is scaring them, he thinks. "I hope this unpleasantness will not ruin that. It's just that I need to kill my father, you see."

Queen Bee's grip on his arm tightens exponentially at that, her enhanced strength noticeable but nothing that will stop Châtiment should he decide to leave, and the baby blues behind her domino mask are glimmering. Viperion, to his credit, keeps his expression mostly neutral.

"I love having you in the band, Adrien, but I can't let you kill anyone."

"Not anyone," he says, shaking his head. "Gabriel Agreste. You can't blame me for wishing him dead," he adds, showing slight antagonism towards them for the first time.

"Not in the slightest," Viperion says. "But if you _did_ kill him, you'd be stuck with it forever. Do you want to let him do this to you on top of everything else? Do you want him to make you a killer?"

"He has already made me Hawkmoth's son. Being Hawkmoth's killer would be far slighter a stain on my life. The name will follow me forever unless I act." This last part he directs at Queen Bee, appealing to his childhood friend rather than the Snake, who remains unmoved.

"So help us defeat him!" she cries. _"Damn it, Adrien,_ I won't let him take you down with him. We're going to make him regret the day he ever picked up a Miraculous, but not like this. Don't be a total _moron!"_

Châtiment smiles. "Oh Chloe," he sighs, cupping her face with his free hand and watching her eyes blow wide. "You never did know how to tell people you care." Wounded, her grip on his arm slackens -

And he takes the opportunity to yank himself free, springing for the rooftops before either wielder can move to pursue.

"He's heading for Agreste mansion," he resisters Viperion snapping into his earpiece, before he's up and away.

He indeed heads towards the Agreste mansion, and no one will stop him.

* * *

Max, Kim and Alix were also caught out in the cold when the sky opened up, black and foreboding above their heads. They were searching for Adrien and became trapped too far from any shelters, so when their akumas begin to descend, there isn't much they can do but hope they're strong enough to do what Chloe Bourgeois did years ago and reject them.

As they close in, Kim throws himself on top of his two smaller friends in a bid to protect them -

Before he feels the akumas vanish. Cracking his eyes open, he realises he is still himself and so are Max and Alix.

She starts to say, "What the fuck -" before someone else speaks.

"You three are just the people I was looking for. My last stops of the day, as it is."

_"Ladybug!"_ Max is the first back to his feet but Kim and Alix scramble up after him.

The heroine is smiling, but it seems greatly strained. Beneath the crimson red of her mask, she seems terminally pale, and she's holding something in her hand. No, some _things._

"What's going on, Ladybug?" he asks.

"I need your help," she says. "Or, to be more specific... Look, Paris is under siege and there are too many threats for my team and I to handle them on our own. Back up is on the way, but for the time in between, I need more heroes." She unfurls her fingers to reveal two familiar Miraculous. "Would Roi Singe and Pegase be willing to help out? Lynx Maleun's gonna need it."

They stare at the pieces of jewelry. Max asks, "Why Lynx Maleun? Where are you going?"

"After the Hound," she says. "She needs to be taken care of before she can make things any worse."

"Worse than this?" Kim asks, gesturing around at the ghost town they're stood in. He bites back another sentence and nods. "I - Okay. I can do this. I will, I mean. I'll become Roi Singe again."

As he takes the Monkey Miraculous, Ladybug offers up a tired smile. "Thank you, Kim."

"I'll help too," Max says, taking the Horse, spurred on by his friend's bravery.

"I understand how much this means for you both," she says. "Thank you, sincerely."

Kim flashes a grin full of false confidence. "Anything for you, Ladybug."

The last of the trio is staring at her friends, looking rather lost, before Ladybug continues to say, "Alix! Today's the day."

She's wondered for a while now when she would first gift Bunnix the Rabbit Miraculous, and she knows this is the moment. She tosses the pocket watch to Alix, who catches it with wide eyes and fumbling hands.

"You're - You're _serious?"_

"You already know how it works, don't you? Fluff will walk you through the transformation if you don't; I need to run. Paris is falling."

"But what if the Hound finds you?" Max blurts.

"It's me the Hound needs to be worrying about," Ladybug says. "On that note, if you see her, do not try to fight her. Just let me know where she is and _run_. She_ will kill you_ if you give her the chance. _Do not_ give her that chance."

As she turns to leave, Kim calls, _"If you die, Ladybug, then we're all lost."_ She stops, turns back. He's staring at her with fear in his eyes. "Everyone, everything. _Everywhere._ The Hound and Hawkmoth between them will tear everything down."

Her head is going to burst open, but she holds it together for a while longer. She walks away without response.

* * *

Lynx Maleun is sprinting for the Agreste mansion when Châtiment cuts him off. Whether it's his natural instinct or Plagg's added helping hand that tips him off is a mystery, but the hooded hero turns to face Châtiment as he approaches.

"None of the others could tell I was coming until I was on them," he says. "How did you, Lynx?"

His jaw twitches like he wants to say something, and in Châtiment he hears the whispered phrase, _"Son of Batman,"_ said in a holier-than-thou tone, but he doesn't bring it up even if it surprises him.

"I don't think that's what you're really here to talk about, Adrien," Lynx says evenly.

"No, no, - Châtiment. Adrien isn't here right now," he says, bristling.

The old and new Black Cats stare each other down. Damian can feel something - he thinks it's Plagg - stirring in recognition.

"You can see into my head," he says, breaking the silence. "Ryuko warned me."

"I can," Châtiment confirms, "but I won't go digging. There's nothing I want from you, Lynx."

"Are you sure about that?"

"What, your girlfriend? Your _Miraculous?_ I don't need a Miraculous anymore, Lynx. The powers I have taken from my father are all I need to accomplish my goals."

"Of _killing_ him?"

"Don't say it in that tone of voice," Châtiment says. "Your father loves you. Your father would move the world for you. He is sending a handful of the world's greatest heroes to Paris specifically to help _you."_ When Lynx Maleun offers no rebuttal, Châtiment tilts his head to the side, and reads his brain without trying. "But your mother... You have a lot of thoughts about her."

"Don't..." he says softly, but the akuma doesn't stop.

"You think about her a lot, even now. Even after what she did. When you set up Ladybug to kill her, did you expect that she would die? Did you hope for it?"

An angry flush creeping across his face, Lynx Maleun says, "If you know my own mind so well, why don't you tell me?"

"I can't. Your mind is a mess, Lynx. You don't know whether you wanted your mother to die that night or not, and that troubles you." Châtiment offers a small smile. "I'd say that you did, but I'm biased. I'm trying to kill my own father right now. Don't try to stop me." It's said lightly, though the order in it is clear.

But Damian Wayne has never been that good at taking orders, to be honest.

"You should know, Adrien, that I'm not going to hurt you," he warns, shifting subtly into a more battle-ready stance, "but I will do what I must to subdue you."

"You don't make it that far," Châtiment says, and leaps at the wielder, who moves just in time to block his attack.

It's a tense fight, and a close one, but while Lynx Maleun is the superior combatant, Châtiment is the one with the element of foresight on his side, predicting all his opponent's moves before he can make them, if only just.

For both of them it's punishing and the boys have both shed blood by the time Lynx missteps -

And Châtiment puts him on his back, a boot on his chest to hold him down.

"I told you," he says to the Cat, who is already trying to return to his feet. Châtiment lets him go, and runs. He bounds across rooftops effortlessly, and leaves Lynx Maleun in the dust; the feeling is a pale imitation of the one he used to get when _he_ wielded the Black Cat, with Plagg the kwami and the cover of night on his side. Until Mourning Star -

No.

Until his father destroyed everything, including his own son's mind.

A growl rumbles low in his throat as the Agreste mansion comes into view. He ignores the press gathered at every entrance, for now.

The window to his bedroom is still open, like it always is. Nobody has bothered to close it, leaving the akuma free to climb straight through and into the mansion. The police are at the front door, and the back door, _and_ searching for any other ways in, so with a subtle pulse of energy he puts up a force field that stops them from breaking into the property. No one can be free to intervene.

No one will either. The house is silent, and no one has been put in place to try and stop him.

Gabriel really doesn’t think anything of his own son, does he? Well, that’s just fine. Now that the Hawkmoth illusion is shattered and his father’s image lies in ruins among it, it does not matter what Gabriel thinks of Adrien.

All that matters is how many roadblocks he has placed in between them, and for once in his life, it seems his father has bothered with none.


	25. iii. Lord Of All Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila Rossi has fantasized about power for as long as she can remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOTD: Queen's "March of the Black Queen".

Marinette still thinks that Lila is the biggest threat to the city going, but the moment Damian tells her that Châtiment has succeeded in pursuing his father, she is stuck, choosing between the personal loyalties she owes her friend, Adrien, or the loyalties which she owes to the city of Paris.

Adrien wins. (He has to, in at least one person's books.)

She bolts for the mansion and dodges past the riot of reporters trying to force their way onto the property, instead taking the same route inside that everyone does, it seems; Adrien's open bedroom window.

_"Adrien?"_ she cries into the silence. There's no sign of life, which has her even further on edge.

Through the empty halls she stalks, searching desperately, heart hammering.

She sucks in a breath and booms, loudly as she can, **_"Adrien!"_**

"My lady." Her spine stiffens and she turns to look down the stairs. At Gabriel Agreste's office door, the akuma stands. He's watching her, and he's terrible to look at. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't call you that anymore, should I?"

Starting towards him, she says, "Adrien, you need to -"

"Châtiment. My name is Châtiment."

Pausing at the bottom of the stairs, she takes this in and then nods. "Right. Okay, Châtiment. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Just help me now." He nods into the office. "His lair is in here. I found the entrance. Help me confront Hawkmoth."

Her heart soars and she nods. "That's what I'm here to do, Châtiment. We're going to stop him."

The smile he gives her breaks her heart all over again. "I was hoping you would say that, Marinette. Of all my friends, you've always been the most true. Not like the others. They all tried to stop me."

He's beginning to frown so she rushes to distract him. "Well then lets go! Lets end this, now. Me and you. The way it should be."

Beaming in a sharp, frightening way, he heads inside and she takes a moment to shut off her earpiece, to avoid him picking up on any discussions that she would rather he didn't hear.

The lair is hidden behind an abstract painting, and she doubts that Châtiment would have ever found it were it not for his mind reading abilities. Much as she hates to admit it, Gabriel did his work at hiding his double life away. Following the akuma up the stairs, and working to keep her mind blank the entire way up, Marinette tries to prepare herself for what she's going to find at the top of the spiral staircase. (Somehow, she has to stop both of them, without either of them stopping _her,_ but it isn't safe for her to think this way, so she holds off.)

In her head, this moment was always a big something. She and Chat Noir, or Lynx Maleun, or any other member of her team stepping at last into Hawkmoth's light to face him down. She never imagined, during her three am musings on the nights when sleep just refused to claim her, that she would confront the villain at the side of an akuma.

It was always bigger than this.

In reality, when they reach the top, Châtiment steps into the lair first, and she follows after him, into a high-ceiling vault filled with glowing white butterflies off in the distance, and much closer, stood at a stained glass window...

Hawkmoth.

And that's it. No fanfare, no big, grand speeches. The three of them are gathered together at last, cut off from the rest of Paris as it burns, freezes, floods...

They're to finish things the way they started.

"Gabriel," she says, first to break the uneasy silence. "You know why we're here." The man looks at her greedily, for a long moment, and then turns away.

_"Adrien,"_ Hawkmoth says, eyeing his son with undisguised disdain, like a normal father would disapprove of a rebellious child's clothing, only this is different. _He_ did this. There's nothing here for Gabriel to disapprove of that isn't his own handiwork. "Stop this nonsense now. I admit freely that the way in which you discovered the truth was... unfortunate, but -"

"Unfortunate?" the akuma repeats. "No, no, learning the truth at last was far from unfortunate. I see that you want to hurt the Hound for what she did; I'm thankful for her intervention. Without it, I might never known."

Gabriel's eyes, behind the mask, have sharpened. "You 'see', Adrien?"

"I'm not Adrien anymore. You'll call me Châtiment. It's the least you can do." He stills and looks more closely at his father, trying to figure something out. Marinette, thus far a spectator, wonders what secret the man is guarding so closely all of a sudden.

Gabriel snorts. "Châtiment? Enough is enough, Adrien. Time for the farce to end." He makes a move with his hand, and it looks to her like he's trying to take the akuma's power away, but he should know that it's too late. Châtiment is too strong.

_"Farce?_ Aren't I everything you ever wanted of me, _father?"_ he spits. "I'm the model Parisian. I'm _perfect_. But... look. Look at you, looking at me. I'm still not good enough, am I? Even now." He shakes his head. "It doesn't matter anymore. I'm not here to please you; _I'm here to destroy you."_

"Then try me, boy," Gabriel says, gripping his cane harder. "If you won't listen to reason, perhaps a firmer hand is what's required."

"Good luck getting to me when I have your own akumas to defend me!"

At that, her heart leaps; she can't have more people in her way. _"Don't involve the other akumas!"_

"Why not?" he asks, narrowing his eyes at her for the first time, and she feels the cold edge of his power press against her.

Fighting to keep her true intentions hidden, she says, "This should be kept between us, Châtiment. Finish things the way they started. Besides," she adds when he looks like he's coming around to her way of thinking, "it looked to me like they were keeping away the people trying to stop you from doing this."

"You're right," he says. "No akumas. But still, old man, doesn't it _sting?_ I took the people you hurt and brought them to my side, and used them to hurt_ you!" _His father's lips curl into a snarl, he opens his mouth to retort -

"Enough talk," Marinette says firmly. "Gabriel Agreste, your reign of terror as Hawkmoth is _over_. I'm here to stop you."

It's a showdown that's been coming for years and has finally landed - only it's wrong. Twisted. It was never supposed to happen like this.

Ladybug stares at Châtiment, stares at Hawkmoth, who can't seem to decide between watching his son and the girl with the earrings. No one moves yet, because you _won't_ when a lethal akuma is in the room with you.

Marinette knows better than to try tricking him - her guys have warned her against that - but she has to find a way of getting through to him before...

Well, before Hawkmoth.

Gabriel may be bigger and stronger but he's also more desperate, and that desperation clashes physically with Châtiment's frenzied attacks. Marinette watches them and tries to find a way of stopping them both.

_"What are you trying to hide from me?"_ the son cries as he is batted back across the room.

"You really want to know?" Gabriel asks, eyes lighting as he settles upon a new idea. _"Fine."_

For a moment, the room goes still. Châtiment's eyes widen then, and the moment is over.

"Maman?" he asks weakly, and Marinette feels a weight sink into her stomach.

"Hawkmoth," she snaps, "what are you -"

_"Quiet girl,_ this is between my son and myself."

"Mother is... alive?" All the fight leaves the akuma in a heartbeat and a renewed satisfaction awakens in Gabriel, who casts a sneering look at Ladybug before nodding.

"She lies in rest beneath the manor, my son. I made it my life's work to restore her to life, for us - _For you."_

For the first time, Châtiment looks completely lost, and it sends fire shooting through Marinette all over again, trying to spill out and in more ways than one.

"You tried to bring her back through terror!" she barks, and someone else speaks through her. "You destroyed lives for it. _My_ life, _Adrien's_ life. Hundreds, if not _thousands_ of civilians' lives! Would Emilie have wanted _that?"_

"You know _nothing_ of Emilie. This is of no concern to you, Ladybug," he says, shooting a fiery look at her. "My son is just now realising -"

"You hurt Elise."

They both turn back to Châtiment, whose expression is beginning to clear.

"Son?" Gabriel asks, unease creeping into his tone.

"Mourning Star. You created Mourning Star to bring back mother."

"I - That's right, Adrien. A terrible choice to make, but -"

"No." Something in Châtiment reverts then. He has remembered what he came here for in the first place, and Marinette tenses for a fight. "A terrible thing to _do_. It should never have been a choice at all. You should never have had this power."

She's making her way towards them, unsure of who she is going to have to subdue first, a pressure on the back of her head almost blinding -

"Anything less than death is too good for you," he continues to say, and she makes up her mind. "Anything less than absolute certainty that you can't hurt anyone again."

"Châtiment," she says. "I won't let you kill anyone."

Gabriel takes advantage of the last moment he knows he has, raising his cane and bringing it cracking down across the back of Ladybug's skull while her back is to him. The blow is precise and and sends her tumbling to the floor, knocking the akuma aside as well.

He realises that this is the best chance he will ever have and reaches down for one of the spotted earrings -

And is blown back across the room by a force of monumental proportions.

Marinette curls in on herself, dragging air into her lungs forcefully to make sure she keeps breathing. She squeezes her eyes shut against the pain and stars explode in the darkness she finds there, a bombardment of sensations and emotions burning through her body and ripping through her mind -

And when the sensations pass, two pitch black eyes stare out of her skull. The Ladybug surveys its new landscape to begin with, and then waves a hand at the wielder in front of her. The purple suited Butterfly goes away and so does the akuma creature, and then The Ladybug tears down a wall to set off in search of the girl wielding the Dog.

* * *

While The Ladybug stalks Lila Rossi through the city, father and son are left to face one another. Like a river bursting its banks, years of neglect overspill from Adrien through Châtiment onto his father as the two leap at each other.

_"You never loved me!"_ he cries, and Hawkmoth beats him back savagely.

"Clearly you cannot see _everything_ if you believe _that_ to be true," the man says. "Of course I loved you, Adrien - _Love you." _He catches and steadies himself but Châtiment hammers in before he can move. Grunting against the force, he spits, "But I needed to save Emilie - _your mother. Can't you understand that?"_

Châtiment lets up only long enough to level his father with a disdainful stare. "I've heard it said that every word spoken before 'but' is bullshit," he says, and takes up Hawkmoth's own discarded cane -

"More ridiculous platitudes," Hawkmoth snarls. "The world is more _complicated_ than that, Adrien."

"Something I had to learn at a very young age, thanks to you!" With a well-placed smack of the cane, Gabriel sprawls backwards and hits the floor. He must land on his spine because he cries out savagely and doesn't get up. "I owe you _nothing_. You owe me _everything_ right now, so tell me why I should leave you alive."

The man is unable to speak, crying out incoherently, but he catches snatches of words, and some of them are _"Emilie"_. Disgust curling inside him, he regathers himself and prepares to take one very final action, when a noise from behind alerts him to another's presence.

"Don't attack me, Châtiment. It's Lynx Maleun."

He turns just in time to see the hooded wielder, all black and green and gold, emerge through the dark like a prophet. He looks at Gabriel Agreste for a good, long, hate-filled moment, then turns his gaze to Châtiment.

"You did it, Adrien. Very good."

Châtiment is unsure of what to do, and so only watches as the Cat approaches his felled father and kneels to retrieve the Butterfly pin. The thing slips off, easy as anything, and the facade of Hawkmoth vanishes to leave a pathetic, broken man in his place. Lynx Maleun straightens up and tucks the Miraculous into the folds of his grand suit.

"That's one burden taken care of," he says, smiling and satisfied. He turns to the self-sustaining akuma. "Congratulations. Now hand over your phone. You achieved what you set out to, so -"

"I have _not,"_ he snaps. "Hawkmoth is defeated, yes. Gabriel is still alive, however."

"I thought you might say that," he says, sighing. "Which is why I brought back up."

"If you think the other wielders will be able to -"

Then a new voice says, "Adrien, dear, it's time to let go. Hawkmoth is defeated! You did it!" Elise's eyes are shimmering with some strange concoction of emotion that the akuma, shut off from the full spectrum of human feeling, cannot decode. "Now pass your phone to us, and let us bring you back."

"Elise?" he says, almost in wonderment. "W-What on Earth are you doing out here?"

_"I_ brought her with me," Lynx Maleun says. "I had hoped she may be able to help you."

Châtiment growls disapprovingly. "You brought her out into a warzone? It isn't safe, Lynx."

_"Nowhere_ in Paris is safe right now," he retorts. "Not even the shelters, with the sheer number of akumas attacking the city." Even their little corner is at risk of being exposed at any moment.

But it's very hard to care about the fall of Paris when his own world has imploded. There's nothing for Adrien Agreste to go back to anymore, so why go back at all?

But there is Lynx Maleun.

"It's over," he tells Châtiment. _"Hawkmoth_ is over. You can stop now._ Have to._ Your transformation will fade whether you like it or not, now that there's no Butterfly out there feeding it."

"But I've seen his final truth," he says. "He still has my mother, beneath Agreste mansion. She needs help." Lynx Maleun's expression darkens at those words but before he can retort...

"Emilie is gone," Elise says gently, stepping closer. He sees the Cat's hand twitch towards her, as if to reign her back in, but the woman won't be stopped. She moves right up to Châtiment and puts a hand on his shoulder. Her eyes overflow with grief. "You can't save everyone, Adrien. Not even when it's someone that you love. Someone you'd give up _everything_ for in a heartbeat to save."

He stares back at her, and knows that they both know the same truth. They have been in this place once before, he recalls.

"Give me your phone, sweetheart," she says. "Let me help you."

And he does. He passes it into her willowy hands and she grimaces at the oppressive energy the thing gives off before passing it to a silent Lynx, who is watching them with an inscrutable expression. He snaps the phone in two and a purple butterfly flaps its way free.

_"Cataclysm."_

The thing is caught in the Cat's claws before it can move very far, destroyed, its dark energy seeping into the already evil air.

Adrien Agreste stands where Châtiment did a moment ago, and before either boy can move, Elise traps him in her arms and strokes his hair, whispering, "My brave boy. Well done."

* * *

"The Ladybug got loose," Lynx Maleun snaps, bounding over rooftops away from the Agreste mansion; Gabriel won't be going anywhere for a while. At the mish-mash of protests he hears in response he continues, "I went to investigate Hawkmoth's lair when I realised that Ladybug's earpiece was turned off, but I was too late. She was already gone."

_"Damn it,"_ Chloe hisses. "All that work for nothing..."

"So we have a _god_ on the loose now?" Luka asks. "We have _another_ villain to deal with?"

"I don't know what The Ladybug is, but it's no villain," he grunts, vaulting a building divide. "She'll be pursuing the Hound, that much is without doubt. And Adrien has - he has succeeded in defeating Hawkmoth." Silence swallows up the next few seconds before everyone is talking at once; Damian rolls his eyes and dodges a stray chunk of falling concrete.

As he touches down on solid ground in the place where the park used to be (before Stoneheart smashed up the entire Marais) it's Chloe and Nino whose voices rise over the cacophony, which isn't very surprising.

"Well where is he now?"_ "He took down Hawkmoth?"_ "Is he okay?"

"He's just fine," Damian says, casting his gaze around in a scan of the area. "I escorted both him and Ms Bisset to Orange Grove. The defensive measures I had installed there will keep them both safe."

"You've been tampering with the apartment _I paid for -"_

"Heads up," Kagami breaks in, just as they hear Viperion start whooping, adding, "I think we have company."

The lines go quiet again and Damian frowns. "In the form of... who?"

She huffs a laugh and says, "A rather distinct plane just passed overhead. I think the Justice League are here."

"Holy _fuck,"_ Alix says succinctly. She seems to be handling her first outing as Bunnix rather well.

_"Seriously,"_ Kim agrees, as Damian hears the chop of plane blades grow closer to his location. "The Justice League? Who sent them in?"

"Batman," he says shortly, backing up as the black aircraft finally appears over top of the city's ancient buildings. The width of space left behind by Stoneheart should be great enough for them to land here, he thinks. "I'll handle the League. The rest of you, split off into teams and work on tracking The Ladybug. Saving Ma- Saving her is our top priority now."

"Agreed," Nino says. "Without the Cure, Paris is fucked."

Correction: it's _beyond_ fucked, and as soon as they find the Hound, Damian is going to make her sorry she was ever born.

* * *

Lila Rossi has fantasized about power for as long as she can remember.

Even as a child, growing up those formative years in Italy, when she found herself at her third new school in only a year, she remembers picking out the people she wanted to befriend, the places outside to eat and play that she wanted to make hers. Lila has always been this way.

As she casts her gaze over the half-razed city, eyes landing briefly on each person she can see who has been brought under the Hound's spell, she's glad. Proud.

"They're all mine," she muses aloud, and then turns away from the view, adjusts her metal mask, which she will admit is heavier than she would like. "Heavy is the head that wears the crown," she reminds herself, never making the connection between the famous phrase and what the French did to the last load of crown-wearing troublemakers the country saw.

In Francois-Dupont she has made her barricade, where she safely sat out the initial, dazzling destruction wreaked by Châtiment. Now, as nighttime begins to draw in, she considers her next move. When she hears someone moving behind her, another presence entering the barricade, she knows the choice has been made for her.

She doesn't need to even look; Ladybug has arrived.

"I wondered how long it would take you to find me," she says, lips curling into a satiated smile. The sunset is beautiful, she thinks. All orange and pink and red, here to see in the Hound's reign, and what a reign it will be; a role that she was born for.

But Ladybug hasn't said anything yet.

"What, Chat got your tongue?" she teases, turning slowly to face her rival. "Or Lynx, perhaps? Really, Marinette, I never knew you had it in you -"

_Something's wrong._ Lila freezes, cutting herself off mid-sentence, as she takes in the thing before her with slowly widening eyes. It _looks_ like Ladybug almost perfectly, but it's _wrong_, a terrible thing that Lila's brain can't even comprehend.

Her mouth drops in a silent scream, a strangled cry tries and fails to escape her lips.

"W-What are you?" she manages to force out.

The thing wearing Marinette Dupain-Cheng's body tilts her head to the side. "I am looking for the Hound," it says, and the silver of Ladybug's suit glints in the light from the window. "I've found you."

Shaking her head, she reaches out to her pack mentally, hoping for one of them to come and save her. She backs up until she hits the window pane she had been admiring the sunset from a moment ago, the idea in her head suddenly that it was the last she would ever see.

"N-No -"

"I am The Ladybug," it says, and the _voice_ is terrible too, one thousand voices speaking all at once, perfectly streamlined. "I am looking for the Hound. I am looking for Lila Rossi. _You_ are both."

_"No -"_

"Yes."

The initial shock and horror are both beginning to wear off and Lila begins looking for ways out. The Ladybug isn't exactly being aggressive; maybe she can just slip past her. Or better yet, maybe the Hound's strength will let her take care of this creature once and for all. If anything is going to happen, it won't without Lila making some sort of move.

And Lila is very good at that.

Her lips curl into a snarl and pounces, onyx claws honed and out. The two dodge around each other, dipping in to strike and then moving back, in and out several times before Lila gets close enough to strike. Her claws rip straight through Ladybug's suit and pierce the skin around Marinette's heart -

Which seals up immediately. Lila's eyes widen and she looks at the _thing,_ which is staring, unflinching, right back. She -

She tries to tug herself free. Lila moves backwards but the thing goes with her - _is tugged along with her_. Like they've been fused together. Her heart is beginning to pound, sweat drips into her eyes from beneath the mask. The thing - it calls itself The Ladybug - is smiling, but the expression is devoid of emotion.

"Le- Let me go," she breathes.

It laughs, and a second later Lila is stumbling backwards, freed from - from whatever the _fuck_ that was. Her claws are stained red but the tears in Marinette's skin and suit are already healing over, as if they were never there.

For another moment, horror grips the trashed classroom. Then at last, her salvation.

Châtiment's akumas, who would all have reverted to their civilian selves the moment he did were it not for Lila's quick intervention, have arrived. They heard her call and came to answer, brought into the pack and bound by her magic.

The Ladybug spins to look just as a jet of energy from Captain Paris hits her square in the chest. She takes the hit with a sort of bemused acceptance. Funny. Lila has watched Captain Paris blow holes through the sides of buildings in the last few hours with that energy of his, but now...

The other akumas - the Mime, the Pharaoh, Gorizilla - are looking at The Ladybug like they can sense its wrongness too, but Lila doesn't care.

"Defend me!" she snaps. _"Kill it!"_ And they can't disobey.

Captain Paris shoots off a more powerful jet and it hits The Ladybug in the stomach; she flies backwards and crashes through the wall into the neighboring classroom. Clambering back through the rubble, The Ladybug deflects a third, then a fourth hit and finally waves a hand in the Captain's direction and -

Lila's stomach heaves as he _comes apart,_ physically, and there's blood and bone before he's just _gone_. Gorizilla freezes in his pursuit of the thing then, but Lila forces her will on stronger and he keeps going, gritting his teeth, snarling as from the other side of the room, the Mime seems to be preparing something.

Madness descends as The Ladybug fights off the three akumas, and Lila, creeping towards her barricade, has to wonder why she doesn't just kill them, when she's proven with Captain Paris that she _can_ quite easily. The Pharaoh takes hold of The Ladybug from behind, one of his incredible arms around her throat, but The Ladybug but puts a hand to it and it _snaps_. The akuma roars and releases her on instinct but then Gorizilla is there.

He picks her up before she can move - Lila's heart leaps - and tosses her the length of the room, where she crashes through the wall _again_. This time the whole thing collapses and the roof begins to cave, but it doesn't fall completely. The Ladybug gets back up and waves a hand and Gorizilla -

Lila more than gags this time, turning away to spill her stomach, which is when she sees it - a small gap beneath the barricade that she can crawl under. _Salvation_. She begins to shuffle towards it as amidst the rubble, the Mime narrows his eyes at The Ladybug, who is waiting to see if he will attack.

It doesn't attack without being attacked, she realises, dragging herself the last little increment to freedom -

Just as the Mime sets off one of his invisible weapons, and the building explodes.

* * *

In the silence that rings round the ex-room, The Ladybug realises that Lila Rossi has thrown all her best fighters at it, and vanished into the setting sun. Growling, Creation leaves to pursue her yet again.

This is a fight that Lila Rossi was born to lose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been very ill for most of this week, so I've done my best and I'm happy with this chapter, but if there are some mistakes that I missed, it's because I've been sick and also wrote this in a shorter time span than previous chapters :)


	26. iii. Queen Of The Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He shakes his head, finally realising why The Ladybug is so wrong. His hands move up; they frame Marinette's lovely face. The eyes are blank as they take him in, uncomprehending.
> 
> He leans his head down closer to Marinette's, whispers, "She doesn't need you to destroy Lila, Ladybug. All she needs is to be Marinette." And he lowers his lips to hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOTD: "March Of The Black Queen" by Queen, again!

All the world's a stage, Shakespeare said, and all it's men and women merely players. They have their exits and they have their entrances.

But The Ladybug is more than that. It was there at the birth of the universe and it still will be as time ticks over into its final moments. It will be there when its counterpart one day, finally, draws the curtains, and the great play ends.

The world around it is burning right now, but that isn't The Ladybug's fault; Lila Rossi is out amidst the smoke, hiding, but it was her fault. This whole miasma of destruction is her fault, and The Ladybug intends to make her pay. Not for the fire, not for the brimstone; this is all temporary anyway, a mere blip on the surface of existence, but for the girl's tampering. For her messing with the fabric of reality. For that, she cannot be allowed to live.

The Ladybug does not understand it's human host, nor the world the host cares so deeply for, but it understands that what goes up must also come down. This is the law of the universe.

It tears through one building, then another. Waves aside a crowd of Lila Rossi's pack members and doesn't stop to watch their fragile bodies go flying. Lila Rossi is there now. She falls to the ground.

The Ladybug advances.

* * *

"The Ladybug could be anywhere in the city, but she's after the Hound, so we should - _Fantasmo,_ have you listened to a _single_ word I've been saying?"

"It'd be hard not to."

_"Excuse me?"_

Paris lies half-decimated around them but the Bee and Fox wielders seem to pay it no mind. The sun is setting in the distance as they jump between two buildings, smoke rising from the gap between, without so much as pausing for breath.

"You heard me."

Neither Roi Singe nor Pegase seem to know what to say in the presence of the two established heroes and their unheroic squabbling.

"Seriously, what is _with_ you?" Queen Bee asks. "Ever since Nanda Parbat you're so damned quiet all the time. And not like, normal Fantasmo quiet. It's like a 'something's up' quiet."

"I didn't know there _was_ a difference," Fantasmo says.

"Of course there is," she scoffs. "I'm your _partner_. I _notice_ these things, moron."

"Oh, _that's_ nice."

"Who's _nice?"_ she asks. "If you want 'nice' you're talking to the wrong girl."

"Don't I know it."

The Horse and Monkey heroes, growing increasingly uncomfortable, start looking for ways out of the situation, when Max notices something odd, off in the distance, and pulls up short. Kim is at his side in an instant.

"Have you seen something?"

"I - I don't know," he stammers, squinting, and then Queen Bee is there, looking where he is.

"Could be trouble," she mutters to her partner, their argument instantly forgotten - for the moment, that is. "Lets check it out."

She leaps for the ground without a second thought and after scanning the horizon, Fantasmo follows after her. Roi Singe and Pegase look at each other before joining them. There's definitely something there...

"Hey guys," Queen Bee says into her earpiece on approach, "we might have found something. Second arrondissement. Be on alert."

"Gotcha," Viperion says, one hand on his hip as he surveys the landscape; something's drained the Seine, and with Bunnix still reveling in her new found abilities, his attentions are all over the place. "Hear that, everyone?" he calls to his group. "Second -"

"Yeah yeah, dude, we heard." Carapace is picking his way over a pile of rubble to an unlucky civilian, frozen in place with the familiar calling card of Lady Wifi stamped on his chest.

_"Careful,_ turtle boy," he says, more an order than a simple warning, but Carapace doesn't hear him. He's too occupied with the civilian, and with a sigh, Viperion heads over to help move the guy to a safer place.

Ryuko, supervising Bunnix's power exploration and trying to do her job at the same time, shoots the boys an irritated look, but doesn't protest them helping Lady Wifi's victim. Viperion is quick to return to the Dragon's side once the job is done though, and Nino doesn't fancy attracting the wielder's ire, so he joins her side as well.

"Where do you think the Hound is then?" he asks them.

Ryuko's posture stiffens, but she still answers. "She was using Francois-Dupont school up until perhaps an hour ago. The Ladybug obviously found her there and they fought, but the Hound must have escaped. Now? Who knows."

There's a dark pensiveness to her that Nino attributes to her own personal hatred of the Dog wielder - the scars on her neck just peek out from the neck of her suit - and Viperion doesn't seem to know how to handle it.

A wormhole rips open in front of them - Ryuko is the only one who doesn't jump - and Bunnix stumbles out of it. Breathing heavy, pointing back into the white portal frantically, she manages to say, _"Mayura! Mayura - here!"_ before she's stumbling off in the direction of Notre Dame.

Viperion blinks. "Wh- _What?" _as Ryuko leaps forwards to bring the Rabbit to a sudden halt.

"What's going on?" she asks.

"I went forwards two minutes!" Bunnix says. "I know where Mayura's gonna be then! The church! So c'mon, lets go!"

They break for the fourth arrondissement immediately, just as Fantasmo says, via the earpieces, _"Uh, we have a situation over here? Second arrondissement, guys. Back up required. I uh - I can't get any more specific than that. Sorry."_

* * *

For anyone else, being in a room with Superman, Wonder Woman and the Flash might be considered a - if not _the_ \- landmark moment in their life.

For Damian Wayne, it's Tuesday.

"Hawkmoth has been defeated and subdued," he says, crossing his arms. The three American heroes stand gathered with him in the safety of Master Fu's apartments. "Mayura is still at large, however, and may strike at any minute, especially if she finds out that he's gone. While her powers aren't nearly as potent as his, they are similar and dangerous on their own. Be sure to keep your emotions in check if you see her; no one wants an amok Wonder Woman adding to the fray."

"If you can keep your notoriously wild emotions in check, I think we can too," Barry Allen says dryly.

Clark's lips twitch. "What about the Hound?" he asks.

"Vanished, after her first encounter with The Ladybug almost left her in pieces, like it did her packmates." Damian's fists clench slightly at that and his heart stutters with restrained anger. "I have two search teams out looking for her now. She adds to her pack using a mist secreted from the black fur she wears. Watch out for that too. Miraculous is around her neck."

Diana nods. "And The Ladybug itself? Have we any updates on that?" Before he can answer she continues, "Her Miraculous, like your own, Lynx, is revered among my people. I know what this goddess is like. It won't just let its host go."

"Mine did," he says obstinately.

"Yours was persuaded," she counters. "And tired from exertion to boot. The Ladybug's circumstances are different."

Damian isn't so sure, but he still asks, "What would you suggest instead, then?"

She hesitates, glances at Barry. "We may have to use force -"

_"Absolutely not."_

"Lynx Maleun -" Clark starts, but Damian isn't listening.

"Force is _not_ on the table. It's not on the _menu_, it's not even been invited to the fucking dinner party. Leave it."

His tone brokers no room for argument, so after a short silence, Barry asks, "So how _do_ we save Ladybug?"

The gathered heroes look around at each other but no one knows quite what to say, not even Diana.

"The Ladybug is an almighty force," she says, carefully after Damian's small outburst. "The embodiment of creation itself. Stopping it will prove potentially impossible."

"No. No, there has to be _something_ we can do," Barry says.

Damian, who has been wearing his scheming face for a few minutes now, turns to Master Fu, who has been observing in silence from the sidelines, and asks, "In order for us to banish the two gods, two Miraculous must be willingly renounced, right?"

"That's right."

"And that's the rule _exactly_, is it? No exceptions?"

"I have told you the rule as it is written _exactly,"_ Fu says, his brow beginning to furrow.

"Then that's it." Damian shrugs and looks impassively around the room. "There's nothing else that we can do. The Ladybug and The Black Cat have both already run rampant once. We can't let it happen again."

Clark narrows his eyes. "You look as though you have a plan in mind."

Fingering the Butterfly Miraculous thoughtfully, he smiles, and says a seeming non-sequitur; "I feel absolutely fine right now."

* * *

The Hound is on the ground when Damian finds them. Chased through the night and spattered with the blood of the innocents she sent to die, she cowers now before The Ladybug in a way that she never would for Marinette.

"I've found them," he says into the earpiece which connects him with Diana, observing from a greater distance.

"I see them too," she says. "The Hound I can handle, but not even my lasso would contain The Ladybug. I daren't get any closer; it might sense the power and lash out."

"That's okay. I'll handle it." He cuts the connection, and finds himself faced with a dilemma.

The Hound is struggling back to her feet and The Ladybug is letting her, like it's... playing. Prey, messing around with it's meal before going in for the kill. However much he knows she deserves this, it's an oddly sickening sight; the broken mortal on the ground and the god standing high above her. It's all too reminiscent of the way Lila has treated her own victims in the past, Marinette included.

But it isn't about what Lila deserves, to Damian. It's about what Marinette would want.

Marinette would not be pleased to know that her body was being used in this way.

He decides to intervene.

_"LADYBUG,"_ he barks, marching towards them. The wide, terrified eyes of Lila Rossi latch onto him, and so do the cold, empty pits where Marinette's eyes used to be. He stops at a safe distance and stares the goddess down. _"Enough._ You can't kill the girl. Let me take her Miraculous, and let this _end."_

"She cannot be allowed to escape justice," it says, pointing at the girl on the ground, who at the gesture curls in on herself.

"I know a lot of people interested in seeing her face it," he says. "But I won't let you kill her, and I especially won't let you use Marinette's body to do it. Rossi's caused her enough hurt without turning her into an unwilling killer as well."

The Ladybug knows him, though. It _recognises_ him.

"She wants you safe," it says. "Her Damian. She doesn't want you to get hurt."

_"I_ don't want _her_ getting hurt," he says, advancing on the goddess. Lila goes forgotten. "So let her go,_ now."_

"Marinette cannot be hurt while I inhabit her. I will not allow it."

_"You're_ hurting her!" he cries, frustrated. "She doesn't _want_ you. She wants her body back."

It doesn't seem to understand. "Marinette will be safe as long as I am with her. Nothing can wound her mortally."

"Maybe not, but you're adding to the destruction of the city," he says. "When all of this is over, and you let her go, she's going to see that, and she's going to _know_ you did it using her body, and _that will kill her._ Do you understand me?"

Something akin to resentment springs up in it's eyes. "I am helping her." A dangerous wind whips up around them, taking his breath away. "I will destroy Lila Rossi."

_"NO,"_ he snarls, stepping right up close to the goddess; Marinette, if she is still in there, will not let him be hurt. If not, he doesn't care anymore. _"You will let go of Marinette's body now_. _I'm warning you, Ladybug."_

It laughs, and the sound sends shivers up his spine. "You think that you can move against me in any way, little Lynx cat?"

He shakes his head, finally realising why The Ladybug is so _wrong_. His hands move up; they frame Marinette's lovely face. The eyes are blank as they take him in, uncomprehending.

He leans his head down closer to Marinette's, whispers, "She doesn't need _you_ to destroy Lila, Ladybug. All she needs is to be Marinette." And he lowers his lips to hers.

The kiss is hard, desperate, and he pours as much feeling into it as he can, all of him; however much Marinette needs to latch onto and return to herself.

For a long time, he is kissing a statue, but just as the idea settles into his head that he has made a terrible miscalculation, he feels her lips begin to move under his, and then two petite hands go to his biceps, fingertips digging in, grounding her in this reality.

The wrongness in the air dissipates.

Marinette kisses him back, and for one moment in time, they are the only two people in all the wide universe who matter.

* * *

Notre Dame makes for an appropriately dramatic backdrop to the fall of Hawkmoth's right hand woman.

Ryuko and Viperion take the front line against her, ready and tensed as the Peacock wielder eyes them up, expression cold and detached, and drops into a battle-ready stance, her fan brandished before her like a sword.

"You really think you can take _all of us,_ lady?" Carapace jeers. "Just hand over your Miraculous now, save us the trouble of taking it!" But nobody is surprised when she doesn't.

_"Hey, seriously, we need help in Second,"_ Fantasmo says suddenly. He sounds harangued, out of breath already, and indeed as Mayura leaps for Kagami, Luka can hear some kind of disturbance coming from over that way.

"Shit," he mutters, leaping into the fray himself. "Okay, Fantasmo, I'm sending someone."

_"You mean you're not coming yourself -"_

"Bunnix, Carapace, head to the second arrondissement," he says as Mayura throws Kagami to the ground. "We'll handle this."

"But -"

_"Go!"_ he roars, wrestling with the blue-skinned woman himself now.

"C'mon," Bunnix says, taking Carapace by the arm. "I'll use my powers to get us there for a few seconds ago."

She opens a shaky, over-large wormhole behind them and drags Carapace through it, leaving Viperion and Ryuko behind to dual against Mayura.

Being suddenly endowed with powers and thrust onto a battlefield might be too much for most people, but Alix likes to think, despite her less-than-perfect wormhole opening out three feet above the ground, that she's coping better than they would. She and Carapace fall, yelling all the way, right into a fight of dizzying proportions.

Queen Bee is up in the air on her silver wings, and Stormy Weather is up there with her, propelled on a controlled wind burst. They battle it out above, and below Fantasmo has given up on trying to hypnotise the pack members and is instead using his flute as a weapon. Alix winces as he knocks Mr Pigeon flat out with it before getting blasted off his feet by a stray bolt of old Stormy's lightning.

"Watch it, _bitch,"_ Queen Bee growls, voice booming. "That's my_ partner."_

Before Alix can assist, a blow across the back of the head from Darkblade sends her flying and she is set upon promptly by Rogercop, dodging laser beam after laser beam, trying to avoid both akumas and formulate a plan (and wondering how Ladybug has done this for so long).

_"Alya!"_

She whips her head around and watches Carapace sprinting over to Lady Wifi, where the akuma and Pegase - _Max_ \- use their unique powers to dance around each other, trying to catch each other out. Alix rolls beneath a car to dodge another laser beam and casts her eye around for Kim, wondering how she can use time travel powers to subdue akumas.

When she comes up with nothing, she sprints back for Fantasmo and helps him fight off the mass of akumas, using the exhaust that she ripped off the car as she left its safe confines.

"Glad to see more hands," he grunts when they find themselves back to back. "Where are the other two?"

So busy trying to keep up with Darkblade, it takes her a moment to answer. "I - They were - We found Mayura!"

He swears, takes down Penny Rolling and turns to help her with Darkblade. There's something familiar about the Fox now that he's up close, but now isn't the time.

"Sh- Should we go help - them out?" she pants.

He shoots her a split-second glance. "The Hound isn't here," he says. "Obviously neither is The Ladybug." With a deft strike of the flute, Darkblade stumbles back, and Alix takes her chance to whack him under the chin. He goes to the ground, from where he moves no more. "It might be the best idea to abandon ship here."

Before he can say anymore on the subject, Rogercop is on them, just as Stormy Weather plummets from the sky, paralysed. Queen Bee lands with a _hmph_ and deals the same to Rogercop while the akuma is focused on Fantasmo. Alix notices in the moment of stillness that the blonde's hair is smoking slightly, and has to remind herself quite forcefully that this is in fact _Chloe Bourgeois_.

"They found Mayura," Fantasmo says, turning to his partner. "She's -" He breaks off, frowns, turns to Alix. "Where is she?"

"Notre Dame," she says, hands on her hips. "And thanks for remembering that I'm here, dude."

He has the good grace to look sheepish, but only for a moment. "We're coming to help you," he says into his earpiece, adding, "Right?" to Queen Bee, who gives a sharp nod.

"We'll have Pegase transport us," she declares, turning to look for the rest of the heroes.

_"Thank Sass for that,"_ Viperion grumbles into her ear, which is still taking a lot of getting used to._ "I think Mayura's trying to bring the church down on top of us."_

"We're on it," Queen Bee says to him, then turns her attention to the remaining akumas. "Alright, how are we gonna do this?"

Alix realises with a jolt that she can't see Kim. _"Where's Roi Singe?"_

"We'll find him," Queen Bee says. "Bunnix, you'll take Bakerix. Carapace and Pegase have Lady Wifi cornered, so Fantasmo, you focus on -"

_"Desperada,"_ he says firmly. "You deal with Frozer. You can fly; he can't trip you."

She huffs but agrees to the plan, and without further pause, they're off, Alix taking a few delayed seconds to catch up and start running herself.

Queen Bee finds Roi Singe buried in a snowbank, as it is, and as he shakes himself and tries to defrost, Fantasmo briefs Pegase on where they need to be.

He opens a portal, the heroes file through and Alix is about to follow, when she hears Max say, "Carapace? Are you coming?" She turns back, and sees the Turtle wielder staring, expressionless, at Lady Wifi, unconscious on the ground.

"She'll be fine, dude," Alex says, shoving his shoulder in an uncomfortable attempt at comfort. "C'mon. The church."

He waits another moment. "Yeah. Yeah, the church." He vanishes through the portal without another word. Alix and Max share a troubled look before they too step through, and into a landmark-turned-madhouse.

Mayura has taken full advantage of her surroundings and brought to life the icons of the church; a squad of gargoyles swoop overhead, looking for new targets - and finding them.

Carapace throws up a shield without thinking and two gargoyles hit bounce off it, but a third was too fast and swoops in for them. Bunnix still has her exhaust pipe and she takes the thing's head off with it, but just barely. Wincing, they stop to take in the scene.

The gargoyles aren't the only statues brought to life; the Gallery of Kings has been brought to life as well and are locked in battle with Ryuko, who is trying to hold them off and reach Mayura as well.

"We shouldn't have told her about Hawkmoth," Viperion grunts, after being knocked back to their level by Jeanne d'Arc and her stone sword. "That's when she brought the statues in. We'd only just finished with the pews."

This is when Alix notices the wood splinters, littering the ancient floor and sticking out of Viperion's hair, and she winces again, unbidden.

Ryuko, crawling along the floor, manages to join their side, her hair totally grey from statue dust. "Back up," she says. "Good. You guys are going to keep the amoks busy. Mayura's on her last legs now."

"Oh good," Max breathes. "We get to be the distractions."

"Lets just get this over with," Queen Bee says, narrowing her eyes at the Peacock wielder. "We -"

_"Don't remove her Miraculous,"_ a new voice says suddenly, in their ears, and it takes Alix a long moment to recognise the voice of the new Black Cat; Lynx Maleun is listening in._ "It's important, guys. Just subdue her. Leave the Miraculous alone."_

_"What?"_ Queen Bee spits, but he says no more and it's clear the other wielder isn't going to offer any more insight.

"I'll kill him," Viperion grumbles. "Fine. Lets subdue the bitch and be done with it."

The four main wielders get ready to rush her and the newbies eye the amoks they're going to face down.

"On the count of three, Carapace, drop the shield," Ryuko says. "One... two... _three."_

The shield vanishes and the heroes leap back into the fray. A recently defrosted Roi Singe is particularly deft, dodging sword blows from Joanne d'Arc and swiping her own stone flag to tie her up in knots. Alix wrestles with a pelican gargoyle, carried off into the air by it with an alarmed cry before a smartly placed portal by Max brings them both safely down to Earth.

The pelican is still gunning for her throat though, and with that beak it's going to succeed at some point. Her arms strain with the effort of holding it back, and she's half-way to crying out when -

It stops dead, and drops to the ground; Alix is too relieved to question it.

"Thank _fuck,"_ she says, pressing the heels of her hands into her eye sockets.

"She's down," Fantasmo calls across the church to them, needlessly. "Unconscious."

Max replies with a sort of wordless moaning noise, and the heroes sink bonelessly to the floor of the church to wait for Lynx Maleun, who will have with him Ladybug, if all has gone to plan.

So, when the rubble is blasted away and Lynx Maleun appears in the newly created entryway, everyone is back to their feet in an instant. Luka stays crouched at Mayura's side, insistent upon watching her. When Ladybug appears behind him, looking drawn and tired but clearly herself, a wave of tension breaks over the room and she's surrounded a second later by her well-wishers.

"Dude, it is _so_ good to see you," Carapace says emphatically. "Shit's wild."

"Don't I know it," she says. "I heard about Mayura. Is she..."

"She's over there," Ryuko says, nodding to the front of the church. The crowd of heroes obligingly part and Ladybug is able to see her, Viperion at her side.

His smile is strained but real as he takes her in. "I knew His Lordship would manage it."

Lynx Maleun growls, "Shut up, David Bowie -"

"Good job, saving our girl."

He falls silent, and then nods. "Of course."

Ladybug isn't paying any attention to the duo, or the fact that they're actually being nice to each other for once, and instead focuses on the felled villain.

"No one's removed her Miraculous, right?"

"Does it look like we have?" Queen Bee asks. "No, we haven't touched her."

Viperion tenses on her approach, but all Ladybug does is kneel down beside the villain and remove the Peacock's pin from the front of her blue dress. The dress, the hair, the blue skin, all vanishes in a show of light, and Nathalie Sancoeur is left in its place.

"Oh _shit,"_ Alix mutters.

"How do you feel?" Lynx Maleun asks, immediately at Ladybug's side as she gets back to her feet.

After a short, thoughtful pause, a smile breaks onto her face. "You were right, Lynx. I feel completely fine."

A victorious expression takes him then, and without pause or care for innocent eyes in the room, he takes her face in his hands and kisses her again. She sighs softly and gives in to him. Alix grimaces and looks away, staring at the altar fixedly.

The two stay like this for some time, until Queen Bee scoffs and says, "Okay perverts, none of us want to see this."

Pulling back, Lynx mutters, "Then leave the room," and tries to duck back in, but Ladybug has come to her senses and she moves away from him. He sighs and looks towards the vaulted ceiling as she moves away from Nathalie's prone body and towards the window.

After another moment of consideration, she declares, "The Ladybug is gone. Sealed away."

"Wha- But I don't understand," Ryuko says. "The book said -"

"That two Miraculous had to be willingly renounced, yes, and they _were."_ She unfurls her fingers and shows off the Peacock, in the palm of her hand. Lynx Maleun, smirking at them, holds up the Butterfly between two fingers. "There was nothing in the rule book that stated the Miraculous you willingly renounced had to be your own."

Queen Bee blinks. "And that _worked?"_

"Loopholes, ma chérie," Viperion says, laughing.

"But Gabriel and Nathalie!" Fantasmo says. "If they can't remember anything that they did, they can't testify!"

"I know," Lynx Maleun says. "It's a good thing that Lila gathered so much irrefutable evidence against them, right?"

"Gabriel's in police custody as we speak, and Nathalie's not going anywhere," Ladybug says, looking back down at the woman, still unconscious.

"And where's Adrien gone?" Ryuko asks.

"At Orange Grove with Elise Bisset," Lynx Maleun says promptly, then at Ladybug's look, adds, "Don't ask."

She shakes her head. "So all that's left now is to defeat the Hound. We uh - We almost had her, at one point." She winces and scratches at her neck, blushing. "She _might_ have escaped us, but -"

"You _had_ her?"

"You let her_ fucking escape?"_

"Hey, you bozos weren't there," Lynx Maleun snaps, the tips of his ears going red. "Wonder Woman saw her run, though. She's gone in pursuit."

"We'll join her. But it won't be easy, guys," she warns. "Lila knows what she's doing. We'll be firing on all cylinders to unravel the web she's weaved around herself, so lets not waste anymore time."

* * *

In the end, she's remarkably easy to find.

For all her undeserved power, Lila has never been a font of creativity, and with Francois-Dupont leveled, there's nowhere left to hide. She may have managed to slow down Wonder Woman, throwing countless civilian pack members at the hero in order to escape, but it only let her run for a while. The wielders compile a list of places to look, and find her at the second. Pegase's winning portal leads them to the Eiffel Tower.

She isn't transformed anymore. Lila Rossi hides away beneath the legs of the tower, her kwami Barkk hovering some feet away, looking around at the destruction his power helped cause with visible distress. When he sees the heroes, he goes very still.

"You can't get me," Lila says, from where she is lying on the ground, seemingly defeated.

At first, Marinette wonders what she means, but then all at once she feels the weight of a hundred hostile stares as she makes out the figures watching over Lila; Châtiment's akumas, bound in form by the Hound. She sees Horrificator, Reflekta,_ Lady Wifi;_ all of Carapace's distressed attention belongs to _her_.

"How are you doing this?" Marinette asks, gesturing to the akuma pack. "You aren't even transformed right now."

Lila huffs an unstable laugh and clambers to her feet. "All the world is coming apart at the seams, Ladybug. I know you can tell. _You_ made it happen." Shaking her head, she says, "The pack isn't even being held together by my magic anymore. It's _self-sustaining."_

_Not good_. "I'm here to stop you, Lila," she says, while the other heroes monitor the akuma pack. She sees Wonder Woman in the distance, from the corner of her eye. "Hand over Barkk's Miraculous, renounce him _now,_ and I can stop this. No one else has to get hurt." Her opponent doesn't make a move and she huffs impatiently. "Don't you see that this can't go on?" Finally her tone hardens; she says, "You're not going to win."

_"Screw you,_ Ladybug," Lila laughs. "I had _everything_. And now? But I'll make you pay. I'll make_ all of you_ pay."

“Oh, stop embarrassing yourself, Rossi. You aren’t pretty enough to behave like this,” Chloe says, sneering.

Lila ignores the snipe and keeps her gaze locked on Marinette. “I _intoxicated_ your pathetic classmates.”

“Yes,” she agrees, quite tiredly. “You told them everything they wanted to hear.” And after Mourning Star, they had needed that. Marinette knew it. So did Lila.

“And you took it all away from me,” she snarls. “But no more. No. Now it’s _my_ time. Lila Rossi may be nothing to you, but the Hound will _force you to listen. Barkk, Go Fetch!"_


	27. iii. You've Got To Burn To Shine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Lila face each other in battle at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOTD (and also song of the fic, in case you didn't know): Woke Up This Morning by A3.
> 
> This is what you wanted, right?

Ladybug breathes out. The Hound watches her, waiting. She feels quiet and cold, very cold, but also calm. _Mostly_ calm. Eye of the storm, and all that...

Marinette and Lila face each other in battle at last.

Lila - no,_ the Hound_ \- smiles. “I’m going to enjoy this.”

“Somehow I don’t think _we _are,” Fantasmo mutters, dropping into a fighting stance.

"There's fight left in me yet!" she crows. _"My friends, attack!"_

And all hell breaks loose.

The possessed akumas swoop in and her wielders engage them, while Marinette's gaze stays locked on Lila, who lilts a taunting eyebrow her way. As Wonder Woman approaches on the horizon, Marinette and Lila throw themselves at each other.

At first it's all claws and punches; yoyo wire zipping through the air and slicing a cut through the skin of a cheek, a chaotic release of mist that's meant for Ladybug but that goes sailing past her, engulfing Pegase, who falls to his knees, clutching at his head in a struggle he can't win.

The Hound breaks away and begins to scale the tower's stairs, Ladybug in rapid pursuit, as below the wielders fan out across the square, fighting the pack with all they have - harder now that Pegase eyes them with empty headed menace, an enemy rather than an ally. Diana tries to lasso him but his portals prove faster than expected and he evades her. With a muttered curse the Princess returns her energies to subduing the civilian pack members, who keep appearing from the woodwork in their dozens.

"The Hound's been busier than I thought," Viperion grunts, dodging a blast of goo from Horrificator.

_"We_ have to keep _these guys_ busy," Ryuko says, ducking from a blast herself then helping him back to his feet. "To let Ladybug defeat her. _Air Dragon!" _A hurricane whips up and she vanishes into it. Even halfway up the tower, the duelling wielders feel the winds.

"If you really think your friends will be enough to stop my pack, you're more naive than I thought!" the Hound taunts over them.

Rather than reply, Marinette grits her teeth and presses her attacks. The Hound's suit is giving her strength but it isn't infinite, and she can already see the underlying exhaustion in her eyes. This can't go on forever.

Further away from the chaos, Queen Bee battles it out against Dark Owl, Pixelator and Guitar Villain. Fantasmo is at her back and focusing on the pack civilians, luring them in with his flute and noting with mounting satisfaction that his own influence seems to be creeping under the spell they are under.

"Maybe Lila's spell is weakening," he calls to her as a man and woman simultaneously drop the improvised weapons from their hands and go limp.

"You need to get them all somewhere safe," she replies. "A shelter."

"Wha- _No!"_ He whips round to face her. "I won't leave you alone out here!"

_"Fantasmo -"_ she growls, when a new voice says, "I'll keep her safe, son. Go."

When they turn to see Superman, it's all they can do not to cry with relief. Guitar Villain tries to attack him, but his notes have no effect. They bounce off the Kryptonian and sever a streetlamp in half.

Fantasmo stammers, "I - I -"

"Am going to move these civilians to safety," he says, brushing off a second, third, fourth attack in rapid succession. "You've done a great job, Fantasmo, Queen Bee. Now let me help you."

Fantasmo doesn't waste anymore time. He snatches up as many subdued pack members as he can and breaks for the closest shelter, protected from the pack by the red flash she takes to be - well, _the Flash, _also moving victims to safety. Queen Bee and Superman are left to face the onslaught together, but he doesn't look at all worried, so _like hell_ is she going to let on.

"Lets get this done," she says gruffly, and doesn't wait for a reply before leaping into the air and throwing her stinger at Stormy Weather. _"You ready to lose?"_ she taunts. Superman has the akumas on the ground occupied so she doesn't let her attention be diverted.

Their hits divy back and forth, taking them both well away from their starting positions, before Stormy gets lucky and clips Queen Bee's stinger string in two. She shrieks as her only weapon plummets towards the ground, dives after it without thinking -

Stormy hits her with a blast of ice from behind and she crashes to the pavement as her wings freeze.

“Do you think defeating me will be so easy now that you’re weaponless?” she taunts as Queen Bee climbs back into the air as fast as she can.

“No,” she scowls. “Obviously not.” But she's hard pressed to dodge Lady Wifi's subsequent barrage of freeze rays from below, and she loses control of her half-frozen wings in her desperation to avoid them, spiraling down to the ground and crash landing in a heap _again_.

"Fuck," she mutters, trying to push herself back to her feet, when Stormy Weather reappears in front of her, reaches for her -

She's batted out of the way by a staff and then Lynx Maleun is there, pulling her roughly back to her feet and under the nearest source of shelter. Panting, he presses something into the palm of her hand.

"Go and fetch help," he says. "We need it."

He's gone again before she can demand further answers, but when she looks at what he passed her, she understands.

* * *

Orange Grove is safe from the explosions outside. None of the gods rampaging through the city are anywhere close, the energy blasts are deflected by shields, and there's a cute but inexplicable German Shepard puppy that keeps lying down for belly rubs who is keeping Elise company. His name tag declares him as Grayson, but Adrien has never heard of a superhero team with a mascot before.

His head is spinning and Elise has forced him to the sofa twice now to stop him from pacing. She doesn't speak, doesn't try to make everything okay, because it isn't and she knows that, but she's there at his side, another living presence.

He is grateful for her.

Then he hears the skylight overhead slide open, and he lurches back to his feet, expecting a fight...

It's only Queen Bee, but before he can ask her what the hell is going on, she has a gloved hand over his mouth and a glare on her face.

"No time for questions, Adrien, we need your help."

Elise has risen to her feet (the puppy rising with her) and her hands are on her hips. "Adrien can't go out there! It's not at all safe! I - I'm sorry, Queen Bee, but I _won't_ let you put him in any danger."

The look the wielder shoots the woman is surprisingly contrite. "Sorry, but we need him. We have the Hound on the ropes but she's clinging to them like a bitch. Someone who can create a useful champion might be the key factor in deciding whether she goes down and _stays_ down."

"You want me to _go out there?"_ Adrien asks, jolting his thumb over his shoulder, out the window. "Have you seen it? It's -" Stood now at the window looking out, his voice dies in his throat. The scene is so hellish he thinks he might be having a dissociative episode. "I did this," he breathes.

Queen Bee shoves his shoulder. "No you didn't. There are only _two_ people to blame for all this, and neither of them are you. But you can help us end it." She holds out the Butterfly Miraculous and for the first few seconds, all he can do is stare at it.

"You want my help." At her nod, he goes on, "To become what my _father_ was -"

"No. Not that, because even at your worst, you're better than he _ever_ was, Adrien," she says, like he's an idiot. In the moment, it almost makes him smile. "We're not asking you to become _Hawkmoth,_ we're asking you to become something completely new." Chloe's eyebrows are raised expectantly, and sees the moment he gives in.

"I'll do it," he agrees.

"Adrien,_ no -"_ Elise begins.

"But only for _this_. When the Hound is gone, so am I. I've had enough." He takes the pin without another word and affixes it to his shirt. "I'll enlist a champion."

Nooroo, so long abused by his previous master, almost trembles before them, but it takes more than the actions of a wayward human to cow a god.

"You will be a good Butterfly, Adrien," the kwami says, raising a smile. "I thank you for releasing me from my previous wielder, and proudly lend you my powers. The transformation phrase you need is Chrysalis Crack."

"Chrysalis," he repeats, huffing a laugh to himself. "Something brand new."

"You'll need a champion," Queen Bee says. "Anyone in mind yet? Someone I could fetch over now? We're on a time limit here."

He hesitates, then casts a nervous glance at Elise. _"Well..."_

_"Me?"_ she asks, jaw dropping open.

"I wouldn't ask you to enter the field of battle," he breathes. Queen Bee looks away, observing a helicopter passing overhead rather than listen in. "Just to be _there_. A presence. A - A guiding light for us." She doesn't say anything. "If you say no, that's okay, but please think about it." Turning back to Queen Bee, he says, "I'm ready. Nooroo,_ Chrysalis Crack!"_

* * *

Atop the Eiffel Tower the winds howl sharp and dangerous. The air swirling around the two girl is toxic, filled with dust and Tikki-knows-what else, but all Marinette sees is Lila. Ladybug and the Hound tear for each others throats, but so far neither of them have done more than draw blood.

_"Help!"_ Lila is screaming, to her pack, probably._ "One of you get up here and help me! **NOW!"**_

Ducking and dodging in a way that could almost be coordinated, the only thing keeping either girl going now is adrenaline, and Marinette is trying to think of a way of using that - _duck_ \- a way of taking advantage of Lila's exhaustion without exposing her own weaknesses - _dodge to the left_.

There's a helicopter about to pass overhead but she can't think about that when Princess Fragrance, frayed at the edges, appears as if from nowhere, boosted by her cloying perfumes and empty-eyed.

_"Kill Ladybug!"_ Lila shrieks, pointing, but in the chaos caused by the encroaching winds of the helicopter the akuma is blown off course and she falls, down, down, from the top of the tower to the ground.

Marinette screams, the sight of her classmate's broken body burning itself into her retinas, and then the winds from the turbines hit them all of a sudden as the helicopter swerves in the air to avoid colliding with Sandboy, also summoned to Lila's side. Marinette's heart stops beating when she feels her feet leave solid structure, Lila falling too.

At first she's totally airborne, falling, falling -

Then in the blink of an eye she hits the ground and feels something internal shatter, even with the protection of her suit. She's bitten down on her tongue but she ignores it, groaning, blinking and trying to shake the stars from her vision, wishing she hadn't when the first thing she sees is the dead stare of Princess Fragrance - _Rose_.

Marinette is first back to her feet, with a roar that tears at her throat, and she hauls Lila up with her, throwing her against the tower. Lila whips her head forwards but Marinette knocks it aside and crunches her elbow into Lila’s chin. She staggers; Marinette presses her attack. Lila howls in pain and Marinette is past caring. Her head is splitting, ears ringing. She can't even _see_ straight anymore but she knows her hits - or at least half of them - are still landing because her abused knuckles continue to crack down on something vaguely flesh-like in feeling.

Lila kicks out, she dodges, but her next attack catches Marinette in the ribs and she falls backwards, unable to move, wheezing. Then Damian's there and he drags her away -

And in the distance, Lightning Dragon blows up a telephone pole to stop an onslaught of akumas, Queen Bee barely missing the resulting fiery sparks -

Roi Singe and Viperion are back to back and fast becoming overwhelmed, even with the Snake abusing his Second Chances -

There's nothing but chaos and noise is everything, seeping _into_ everything and warping it - hell on Earth. Marinette can't breathe, the black clouds left behind by Châtiment are getting into her lungs, choking her out -

Then, suddenly, nothing.

The world goes still, so much so that Marinette wonders whether she's dead; that Lila has killed her like she did her own pack members. She cracks open her eyes - _possibly_ \- and sees that the world still exists. Or it seems to, anyway. In the endless silence, she can't quite tell. Maybe she _has_ died.

Damian is at her side though, so if she's dead, so is _he_, and the thought makes her want to - what? Cry? She thinks so. The hood of his suit has fallen back, the gold inlays crusted over with dirt, and she's not sure whether she can see his chest moving up and down.

She opens her lips to speak to him but it's too much; her mouth feels full of cotton. He suddenly draws in breath, making her jump, and she finds he hasn't the same problem as her.

"What happened?"

Shaking her head, she looks over to Lila, sprawled on her back and unmoving. Casting a wider net, she looks for the source of this sudden stillness. Has Lady Wifi hit pause on the whole world?

Then she sees them.

Off in the distance stand two figures. One is dressed in lavender, dark and light both, and the tails of his coat almost resemble a butterfly's wings.

"At last," Damian breathes, and she sends him a quizzical glance, but he isn't looking at her.

Next to the butterfly man is a woman, and amidst the filth and grime covering Paris, she glows white; a beacon, drawing Marinette into her safety and sending tendrils of warmth through her mind. All the tension rushes from her in an instant, and she slumps to the ground. Distantly, she sees the remaining pack members weakening as well, and her wielders slowly drop their defensive stances.

Lila has pulled herself into an upright position, sensing the figures also, and now clambers clumsily to her feet, goes stumbling towards them. The figures stop dead, and perhaps out of alarm, Lila does as well.

Any fear she might be feeling - if she even _can_ feel fear right now, because Marinette certainly can't - doesn't stop her from shouting, "Who the hell are_ you?"_

"My name is Guiding Light," the woman says, "and I'm here to help Ladybug stop you, Hound." Lila looks between the new butterfly wielder and Guiding Light, and a smirk comes to her lips that Marinette can see from a mile away, but that doesn't worry her. Not so much. Everything's going to be okay now, she's sure.

"Hey, _butterfly boy,"_ Lila jeers. "Come over here."

Guiding Light looks like she wants to stop her partner from obeying, but he does anyway. Marinette sees Lila's smirk stretch wider still at the sight.

The new wielder comes closer, closer -

Until Marinette can make out his head of blond hair, and though the magic of the Miraculous stops her from _knowing_, she still does. Sucking in a gasp (not a good idea at the present time, given the toxins in the air), she looks at Damian, but he's wholly focused on the scene unfolding before them.

Adrien and Lila come face to face, and Marinette thinks that she should probably intervene, but she's frankly far too relaxed to move now; she's on a beach compared to how she felt a minute ago.

"Who are _you,_ pretty boy?" Lila asks, reaching out to take his chin in her claws.

He twists away with surprising ease and says, "Call me Monarch."

_"Monarch_. Okay." Lila's voice is mocking, and Marinette, now in between sips from the margarita she's drinking on the beach in her mind's eye, thinks again that she should probably make some sort of move. "Your akuma over there is ruining my plans," she says.

"She isn't my akuma," Monarch says, "she's my _champion."_ His voice has taken on a hard edge that makes Lila visibly stiffen. Then he sees something over her shoulder that makes him smile, and when Marinette sees as well, the version of her that's sat on a beach smiles too.

Kagami is here for her revenge.

"Well _Monarch,"_ an oblivious Lila says, now trailing a claw seductively up his chest (which would look weird enough without the general filth her person has just spent three days accumulating), "I need you to let Guiding Light go. _Now."_ And just as her dirtied fur begins to excrete its mist, Kagami strikes, grabbing her around the throat and flipping her roughly to the ground.

Beach-Marinette whoops and cheers as Monarch and Ryuko smile at each other. Real-Marinette is too tired to bother, but she feels it.

"Nicely done," he says.

Kagami shrugs. "All in a day's work."

On the ground, Lila makes a strangled choking sort of sound and flops out, starfish style.

"Very well done, dear." Guiding Light is smiling too, more amused than anything, and even though she's still so far away, Marinette hears her hum to herself.

The noise reverberates pleasantly through her eardrums, and indeed the rest of the city. It worms its way under flipped cars to the people trapped beneath and past heavily blockaded entryways. At once, a focused, almost serene state of being takes Paris, its citizens and heroes alike.

Marinette stops for a moment and breathes...

When she breathes out again, she knows very well what must now happen. Guiding Light's mist has calmed the Hound as well, but that means the adrenaline keeping her going has waned; Elise has left Lila truly vulnerable for the first time.

"Thank you," she breathes, and despite the great distance between them, the champion must hear her somehow; she looks over, smiling, and nods once. "I'm ready now," she says, this time to Damian, still at her side.

"Then I am as well," he says. "Together?"

"Until the end."

At that, he manages a smile and reaches for her hand. "Until the end."

She squeezes his fingers, feels him squeeze hers back, and gets to her feet unsteadily, taking in the decimated landscape with a sinking stomach. The helicopter which knocked she and Lila from the top of the tower has landed though, and when she squints, she sees three very welcome faces.

"Your brothers are back!" she says, nudging Damian before falling into disbelieving laughter.

"Good god, they are," he mutters, looking over at the three men climbing down into the disaster zone. ("What the fuck happened here?" Jason asks, looking around himself. "We were gone for_ three days.")_

An idea comes to Marinette then. "We've already dealt with Gabriel and Nathalie," she says. "But Lila's Miraculous still needs to be dealt with. Now, I _could_ just renounce it myself, and have it be done with, but..."

Damian is looking at her knowingly, suppressing a smirk. "Want me to see if the idiots managed to find a Shenfu?"

"Yes. We can make use of at least one."

With one last look around himself, he sets off towards them, picking his way with enviable ease across the rubble and fallen bodies (hopefully just unconscious, Marinette thinks). Lila, drained of all her willpower, can only watch and shake her head as her fate approaches on tired legs and shaky ground. Marinette sees one tear, then another, slip out from beneath the helm, and they both know who has won.

The last of Lila's strength fails her all at once, and her shoulders slump.

"It's over," Marinette tells her. "I win." She holds out a hand for Damian to press a Shenfu into it.

"They managed to uncover a surplus," he murmurs into her ear. "As luck would have it."

As the other wielders realise what's happening, they pick themselves up and begin to make their way over, wanting to bear witness themselves.

"It's about time," Chloe sneers, crossing her arms, and at her side, Nathaniel is smiling in a quiet, yet wholly satisfied way.

"We actually did it," he says.

"Justice," Kagami agrees, smiling much more widely as Luka throws an arm around her shoulders and adds, "And it couldn't have happened to a nicer girl."

"Very funny," Marinette says, shooting him a discreet look before re-concentrating on Lila. "You know what's about to happen, don't you?"

She looks worried but she covers it quickly with a sneer. “And _here we go_, Little Miss Ladybug, lording it over the rest of us that she has powers and the rest of us depend on her for ours.” But if she would only look around her, she would notice that none of the wielders look happy. “I bet you’re _so _pleased, huh? You get to keep playing the hero while I'm forced to go back to my normal life.”

Marinette’s brow furrows. “What? I’m sorry Lila, but what do you think is going to happen? You’ve _killed _people. You’re going to jail.” And if Lila was pale before, she’s practically bloodless now.

“Y-You can’t send me to jail! I’ll tell everyone about you! Everyone will know that you’re Ladybug!”

“I think you’ll find that we’ve prepared sufficiently for such an eventuality,” Damian says.

“You can’t do this! My mother -”

“Will be told the truth, to an extent,” he says. “You’re a murderer and you’re being incarcerated. That much is true.”

_“No!_ It was the Miraculous! It messed with my head, it _controlled _me!” She’s preaching this to the gathered crowd, growing desperate. “I can’t be held responsible for what it made me do!”

Nino’s voice is cold when he says, “I think you’re forgetting that we're all wielders, Lila, even if some of us are new to the game. We all know how the Miraculous work, and it’s not like _that_._”_

_"Barkk,"_ Marinette interrupts in a loud, clear tone, "with this Shenfu, you are granted the power to renounce Lila Rossi as your wielder. Do you accept?"

For a long moment, nothing happens. Then all at once, the Shenfu glows gold, and the Hound's facade vanishes in a great flash of light. A small, dog-like kwami flies out of the choker around Lila's neck and cries out in joy, flipping through the air.

"I do, Ladybug! Oh, I do!"

His ex-wielder watches him go, and begins to snivel. Marinette isn’t sure if this is the _most _pathetic thing she’s ever seen, or just _almost_. She walks up to Lila; her tormentor. The source of so much of her pain. For years, she has wanted to do something about this girl.

But then she had been arrogant, high on the powers of persuasion and her inflated self-worth. The girl before her now is a sniveling, sobbing, powerless mess.

“Lila...”

The red-eyed girl looks up at her. This is _not _the girl Marinette had once dreamed of taking down.

But she’ll do.

Marinette’s fist connects with her jaw and Lila falls backwards and lands in a heap on the ground. She has to resist the urge to kick her as well, hearing Luka's whooping laughter, but that’s not where her mind is right now. She turns to Damian, who is holding a hand out for her to take and smiling.

"You did it, habibti," he says. "I knew you would, of course. A foregone conclusion as far as I was concerned."

She huffs an exhausted laugh and lets herself be pulled into his arms. "Not quite yet," she says into his shoulder, eyeing Princess Fragrance's body and building herself up to restore the girl to life. "Paris is still a warzone. The Cure's gonna have its work cut out for it."

"Rest up first," he urges. "Just for a moment. Every antagonistic force is gone; there's no reason for you to push yourself over the edge to fix things up. Let yourself _be_, Marinette."

She closes her eyes and sinks further into his embrace as around them, the city begins to come to life. "Yeah," she breathes. "Yeah, bobcat, okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Butterfly related transformation phrases are hardddd guyssss.
> 
> Also, I had to say "my friends, attack" because if I didn't, Lila was going to shout "pack attack" right before the final climactic fight and that's not the kind of energy I was going for. Sorry dudettes


	28. iii. On The Dancefloor Broken Glass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I still don't know what I'm going to do, Marinette."
> 
> The knowing look she gives him is paralyzing. "Yes you do, bobcat. We both do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOTD: The Punk & The Godfather! (again...)

Marinette is floating on a cloud, or at least it feels that way.

Consciousness slowly returns, in gentle ebbs and flows, and she realises that the cloud is in fact a bed, and the weight she feels pressed against her is a person, not an angel. She burrows her face deeper into her pillow, inhaling the safe, familiar scent of - Damian?

She cracks one eye open, and realises she isn't in her own bed, but her boyfriend's, and more specifically, the one at Orange Grove.

A few days ago, the realisation that she had been so remiss as to sequester herself away like this, without a word of warning to anyone, would have her shooting from her burrow with a shout and trying to immediately remedy her mistake. As it is, she remembers Damian telling her, before she lost consciousness after her Cure on the day the Hound fell, _"Rest,_ habibti. I'll take care of everything."

So she rested. _Is_ resting. And judging by the weight at her back, the arm over her waist, her boyfriend has deigned to take his own advice for once, and joined her. A smile curves her lips and she wiggles back in the bed a bit, further into his embrace, which tightens on instinct. He's still asleep; she can tell from the way he breathes, but even when literally out of his mind he's trying to help her.

The last months of her life had been, without room for exaggeration, utterly frenetic, but time had, in the intervening hours following the Hound's fall, slowed down to an absolute crawl. Not that Marinette minded then, nor does she now.

"I need the sleep," she mutters to herself, eyeing Tikki and Plagg snoozing together in a makeshift bed on the bedside table.

They _all_ need it, including the rest of her team, who if she isn't mistaken, she can hear moving about in the living room. Grayson is absent and she can smell sausages cooking, so that explains that, but what she doesn't understand is why her friends are here, rather than at home, busy being wrapped up in cotton wool by horrified family members who by now must have made connections between their children and the city's heroes.

She hears laughter - it sounds like Chloe's - and the distinct splat of an egg against the kitchen floor, and huffs. _She_ won't be cleaning that up. The Queen can bloody well do it herself.

Feeling Damian begin to shift behind her, his breathing quickening as he slowly awakens as well, she chances a glance at the clock and her heart swells; she hasn't slept until almost midday for years. It feels good. She decides against joining her team for a while longer, to savour the feeling of arms around her waist and a soft pillow beneath her head, and all her life to enjoy it in.

"What time is it?"

Or perhaps not. She shifts around until she's facing Damian, whose eyes have cracked open a smidge. He looks cranky, affronted by the fact he has dared wake up at all, and his nose is twitching; he can smell the cooking as well.

"Half past eleven," she sighs, shifting forwards into his embrace.

He welcomes her readily, grumbling into the top of her head, "They've woken me up. Did they wake you up too? I'll eviscerate them."

"No you won't," she says, and feels him huff indignantly. "Why are they here at all, Damian? You said you were taking care of everything."

"And I have. They've chosen to make themselves at home here, at least until you woke up and they saw how you're doing with their own eyes." The implication that they don't trust Damian to update them on her condition isn't unfounded.

"Don't their families want them?" she asks.

"If I was their families, _I_ wouldn't."

She drives her elbow into his ribs without enthusiasm, and is just beginning to drift back to sleep, when Grayson begins yipping at something, and she opens her eyes again.

"We should probably get up."

Damian heaves a great sigh. _"Nah."_

"Oh, _very_ helpful." The beginnings of a pout on her lips, she says, "If I stay in this bed any longer, I'll fuse to it."

A pause. "So?"

Summoning up all her willpower, she throws back the covers, wraps herself in a woolly cardigan, and shuffles out of the room. Nathaniel is curled up on the sofa closest to her; he looks up and smiles at her.

Kagami, on the sofa opposite, says, "Welcome back, sweetheart."

_"Hey."_ Her voice croaks from misuse, so she clears it and tries again. "What are you all doing here?"

"Luka's cooking brunch," Nathaniel says, which doesn't really answer her question.

The man in question is stood at the stove, Chloe at his side, and Grayson at their feet, watching their movements through sharp eyes. Chloe passes Luka things when he asks for them; a spatula, another egg because _you tossed the last one, you tosser. Where are the tomatoes? Have you tossed them too?_ Other than that, she simply stands at his side and files her nails while he cooks. Both of them look up from their respective tasks at Nathaniel's words.

_"Mari!"_ Luka cries, throwing his arms up in celebration and, having forgotten about the spatula in his hand, sends it sailing across the room, where it whacks into Nathaniel. The redhead, concentrating on the TV, merely sighs and looks down at the grease staining his pajama top.

"Well, it's about time," Chloe says, though the relief in her eyes is plain for all to see. "You've slept non-stop for the last three days."

"Not _non-stop,"_ she argues weakly, pulling her cardigan tighter around herself as she falls onto the sofa beside Kagami, who reaches over immediately to draw Marinette's legs over her lap. "I've been waking up for food, and stuff..."

Chloe scoffs. "Hardly. But still. You're awake now."

"And I have a feast on the way," Luka announces with much flair and gusto, having retrieved his spatula. "I hope you all know how much I improve your lives."

"Oh, are you leaving?" Damian asks, having just stepped out of their bedroom himself. Before the fall, the comment might have been laced with poison, but now it's just amused, gently ribbing, and Luka returns it with a sly grin.

"Updates on the trials have been coming in all morning," Nathaniel announces, still staring at the TV.

Marinette frowns, not liking the feeling of being out of the loop. "The trials?"

"Of Gabriel, Nathalie and Lila Rossi," Kagami says. "Lila's is more complicated than it needed to be, thanks to the Shenfu..." She shoots a stern look at Marinette and Damian, who has plonked himself down on the sofa too. "But it's moving along steadily all the same. Gabriel and Nathalie blabbed all about how she assisted them in their personal notes, and even though everyone's forgotten about the Hound, people remember her attacking them out of transformation. They have enough on her to put her away for a long time."

"Good," Damian says, then mutters in Marinette's ear, "I'd forgotten about the need for evidence when we used the Shenfu."

"I hadn't," she says, squirming to get comfier. "I knew she was guilty outside of her life as the Hound."

Nadja Chamack, blissfully unaware of her brief time spent as the Hound's puppet, reports on the triple criminal trial taking France by storm, and Marinette can't help but notice Kagami's hand twitch more than once up to the scars on her neck when Lila's name is mentioned.

"The Shenfu was the best revenge, though, right?" she asks, and the Dragon turns to her, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"All Lila wanted was to be remembered," she says. "In a good way or a bad one, she didn't care. Now she doesn't even get the satisfaction of that." She would remember her time as the Hound, while the rest of the world forgot.

"Vindication feels good, doesn't it?" Damian asks.

"Better than sex," she says, and smirks when his elbow digs into her side.

"Still, these have to be the world's most complicated trials ever," Nathaniel says. "Two of the accused can't remember committing the crimes they're on trial for, and the third one's the only person who can remember committing them at all."

"We remember," Chloe says. "I'd say testimony from six of the city's heroes warrants imprisonment."

Marinette shakes her head. "We'd have to reveal our identities for our word to count. Otherwise our anonymity could be abused." Chloe rolls her eyes but doesn't try to formulate a response, instead stealing a piece of tofu from one of Luka's frying pans.

(He hits her on the head with his spatula and she starts shrieking about grease. "Considering some of the stuff you've had in your hair over the last week, a bit of cooking oil isn't the end of the world," he says.)

"And besides, my father has assured me his best lawyers are working on taking all three of them down," Damian says, unconcerned.

Marinette glances up at him. "You mean you haven't been nosing your way into every individual court proceeding?"

He huffs. "I've been somewhat preoccupied."

"Brunch is served!" Luka announces, brandishing two plates high in the air so that Chloe can't grab one off him. One goes to Kagami, the other to Marinette, who's so hungry that she can barely wait until the plate is in her hands to start eating.

"Thank you," Kagami breathes, sighing around her first forkful of egg.

When Chloe takes her own food, she sits down at the island, ignoring Grayson's puppy eyes, and says, "We're all taking a cruise."

Marinette blinks. "We're _what?"_

"I said she'd react like this," Luka says, taking a seat next to Chloe, who glares at him and says, _"Us._ Daddy has a yacht, and we're taking a trip on it. Going somewhere hot, with a beach and loads of shirtless guys."

"It's January," Damian says.

Her glare transfers to him. "Did I fucking stutter?"

"Maybe it would be best to wait for spring or summer," Nathaniel says. "With the trials going on, we might be needed here." When Chloe moves to protest, he adds, "And, if we waited, Adrien could come with us. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

She falls silent, twirling her fork around. She bites her lip, and finally nods. "Come springtime we're taking a trip to Spain. We're going to lie on a beach and drink cocktails, and not do anything at all."

"Sounds like a plan," Kagami nods. "Adrien's going to need the break too."

That's an understatement; the storm surrounding him currently is being shielded from public information, and even the city's heroes aren't being told everything about what's going on. Elise is at his side throughout, though. They know that much.

Brunch continues in comfortable silence, the group entertained by Nadja's report, right up until the woman says, "And to wrap up my special report on what are now being called the Hawkmoth Trials, my team has just informed me that a celebration date has been announced! This coming Saturday, Paris will turn into a carnival to ring in a new age; one free of super-villainy, thanks to our very own Ladybug." She smiles into the camera, right at Marinette, whose jaw has dropped open. "That's me, Nadja Chamack, signing off!"

The show's outro plays, followed by an advert for one of Gabriel's rival brands, which has experienced a great increase in popularity over the last few days, but Kagami mutes it.

"Huh," she says, stabbing a piece of tofu with her fork. "Wasn't expecting that."

"They're throwing a _party?"_ Marinette asks.

"A _street party,"_ Luka corrects. "Good. Love a new National Holiday. Thanks Nettie."

_"Luka,"_ she complains as Damian says, "Did you just call her _Nettie?"_

"They'd better hurry up outside if they want to throw a street party," Chloe sniffs. "I'm not dodging rubble for a carnival."

"Rubble?" Marinette repeats. "What do you mean?"

Damian clears his throat. "Just some residual clean up, habibti. It's nothing for you to worry over. Even my brothers have been helping out."

"I haven't seen them for days," she says. "I'll go visit, and make sure everything's okay -"

"No using the Cure," Kagami says sternly. "Go look all you want, but your work is done, understand?"

"Yes, mother," she says. "Come on, Damian. We can take Grayson for a walk at the same time."

As the puppy begins to cry excitedly, Damian sighs and says, "Well now I _have_ to go."

* * *

Ladybug's Cure was mostly comprehensive; most of the people killed during those hellish three days were successfully returned to life, no memories of their temporary trips to the Other Side whatsoever. Thanks to the shelters most of the population were safe anyway, but an unlucky few she had been unable to save.

The atmosphere hanging over the city shifts back and forth between sombre and celebratory in the days following, as services and public alike come out to help cleaning away residual destruction that the Cure was stretched too thin to handle. Among these numbers are the three eldest Wayne brothers, transformed, and their family babysitter - that is to say, butler - Alfred Pennyworth, supervising.

Damian leads Marinette to them a while later, she bubbling with renewed energy and he, decidedly not.

The brothers look up from their clean up duty on their approach, all relieved to see Marinette awake and in once piece.

"Hey, kiddo, you're alive!" Dick calls. "And you brought little Grayson Junior to see his uncle! How's my best boy?" With that, he's on the floor, fussing the puppy who wriggles and squeaks with excitement.

Marinette, beaming, shakes Damian's arm and says, “Tell them the good news!”

“I wouldn’t call it good, Marinette," he says.

“Oh, I don’t know." Tim tilts his head to the side. _"She _looks all peppy, and _you_ look super irritated. Feels like good news to me.”

Marinette doesn't notice Damian glaring a hole through Tim's head and goes on to say, "The city's throwing a party to celebrate Hawkmoth's defeat! Everyone's invited."

"Great!" Dick says. "Love a good party."

"Oh, no wonder the Brat's pissed," Jason smirks. "He disapproves of having a dirty good time." Damian clenches his jaw and doesn't rise to the bait, which doesn't go unnoticed.

"That's right," Tim says. "Rise above it. Be the bigger man." Damian, noticeably still the shortest of the brothers, finally opens his mouth to retort when Marinette rushes to cut across him.

"How did your Miraculous treat you all?" she asks.

"No complaints," Dick says, and she has noticed that he is still wearing the Ox's nose ring, subtle as it is. All three of them are still wearing their Miraculous, actually. That's fine; she isn't in a rush to take them back.

"I'm keeping mine," Jason says, as if reading her mind. "Ziggy and I have bonded. I call him Stardust. Besides, nobody's better suited for the Goat than me."

"Why's that?" she asks.

Tim starts to say, _"Don't ask -"_

"Because I _am_ the GOAT." Jason grins proudly; Tim sighs to himself and Dick tells him, "Stop it, now."

Alfred, who up to now has been busy helping a man in removing a chunk of concrete from the top of a poor Ferrari, returns to the brothers, saying, "This would be much easier for me if I had the kind of assistance that you three do."

Marinette perks up. "Well, Alfred, could you handle the Peacock? It's safe to use now. Some amoks might be useful."

"I think I should be capable of that, Miss Marinette." He takes it, pins it to his jacket, and when the freed kwami materialises, calls, "Duusu, _Feathers Fan!"_

The light fades and Alfred looks much the same, dressed now in a tailored suit of deepest blue.

"Still not going for the whole superhero vibe yourself, Alfred?" Dick asks.

"I prefer to remain a gentleman," he sniffs, adjusting his midnight lapels.

Jason laughs. "Look at you, the Blue Viper."

"He's the Peacock, not the Snake," Tim says.

_"He_ is rapidly losing patience with _all of you,"_ Alfred says. "We have a city to repair, do we not?"

"Hey Alfred, the city's throwing an epic rager," Jason grins. “That sounds fun, doesn’t it?”

“No, not really," he says, turning to assess the space around them. He spots a collapsed arch on the other side of the street and flexes his fingers. "But one of you is bound to end up getting hurt, so I’ll go.”

As he walks away, Tim mutters, "Like, in case we need help, or to point and laugh?" No one can quite decide.

"I'm going to see my parents," she tells Damian, passing him Grayson's lead. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

Mr and Mrs Dupain-Cheng set up a stall for the carnival not far from the bakery. They plan to fill it with pastries of all sorts, and Sabine will also add a stall selling Chinese foods, to celebrate the coinciding new year.

When Marinette arrives, she knows that something has changed. They look up from their respective tasks and wear matching smiles of relief, but there's a comprehension in their expressions that has never been there before.

Sabine puts down her box of decorations and takes Marinette's face in her hands. "You're alright," she breathes. "Good." Pressing a firm kiss to her forehead, she releases her daughter, who is caught up in Tom's strong grip immediately after.

"Oh, my girl," he says. "Look at you. Just... _look at you."_

So he knows. As does Sabine. Either they figured it out for themselves or one of her team mates told them, but somehow they know.

"I'm okay, papa," she says softly. "Really, I am."

He swallows hard, opens his mouth to say something, and changes his mind. Sabine steps up instead. "Well, I think by now you know what you're talking about, dear." They don't even want to make her talk about it, she realises with a hit of relief.

A little choked up, she says, "Thank you. I - I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. I was resting. But I'm here now!" she says before they can interrupt. "I can help you set up for the carnival."

"Don't push yourself," Sabine protests, looking vaguely alarmed.

"I'm not," she denies, moving past them to take up a set of streamers. "Where do these need to go, maman? I want to help."

They set her up with a small list of tasks as the streets begin to fill with people joining in the preparations. Alix and Mylene pass her at one point, holding between them a hand painted banner declaring _"Fuck off, Hawkmoth"_. Her parents tut at the language but overall seem to enjoy the sentiment.

Marinette, rummaging through a box of shiny banners, bites down on her lip and asks, "Are you guys okay?"

They look back at her with unreadable expressions. "As long as you are, Mari," Tom says softly. "Just as long as you are."

* * *

The City of Lights lives up to its name on the night of the carnival. Noise and smells and activity abound, in fact it's all rather dizzying. Music plays, barely audible over the hum of thousands of celebrants flooding the streets. Damian had expected to see effigies to Hawkmoth and Mayura all over the place, ready for the burning, but there's a surprising lack, as if the city is refusing to even acknowledge that the villains ever existed.

He sees references to the heroes here and there though, and can't help the smile that creeps onto his face as he passes a little boy clutching a Ryuko balloon. He loses his brothers mere seconds after stepping across the festival's bounds, but gets trapped by another pair of irritations before he can find Marinette.

"I've just lost ten euros to the bowls stand," Nathaniel explains, when Damian asks why Luka is weighing up cricket balls in his hands and the man running the stall looks close to losing his patience. "He wants to win back my honour."

"I am going to win that giant Lapras!" he declares, nodding at the plush creature hanging from its neck.

"Why even bother trying?" Nathaniel asks. "These things are always rigged." The stall owner sends him a quiet glower, but the Fox either doesn't notice or doesn't care. Damian can't help but agree.

Luka is still weighing up the cricket ball in his hand, eyeing the wickets and trying to decide whether or not to abuse his enhanced strength in favour of winning. "Fuck it," he mutters. "What else will I use it for now?"

And that's when it hits him. No, not Luka's cricket ball - though he has threatened to lob it at Damian more than once already - but this new reality, and what it implies. He only came to Paris to help Marinette defeat Hawkmoth, and now the job is done. The dragons are slain, and all the knights laid off. So "what now" is the best question to ask, because he technically has no reason to stay anymore. There's nothing left for him to do.

All of a sudden, he feels Gotham is calling.

"Shit," he mutters, and Nathaniel glances over.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing," he says with a dry swallow. "Make sure Couffaine doesn't club this fraudulent stall owner to death." (The man's glower deepens significantly.) "I'm going to find Marinette."

"Ooh la la," Luka says mockingly.

Damian ignores him - as per - and walks off, threading his way through the bustling crowds, all a lot jollier than he currently is.

"Fuck," he says again, and moves right past all of the food stalls, because he can see she isn't there. Her parents' stall is overflowing with customers though. That's nice to see.

On the outskirts of the food area he comes across the somewhat unlikely trio of Adrien, Nino and Alya Cesaire, tucking into a shared platter of fried octopus balls. He's about to surreptitiously move past them, when Adrien spots him and, to Damian's surprise, waves him over.

"Hello," he says, glancing with undisguised dislike at Cesaire, who flushes. "Adrien, I'm glad to see you doing so well. Admirably."

"Yeah, well, Nino made me come out for at least a while," he says, scratching at his neck with a bashful chuckle. He looks well cared for, Damian thinks, and knows that leaving him with the Bisset clan for the time being was indeed the best choice.

"Of course I dragged you out here, man!" Nino exclaims around a mouthful of battered octopus; Damian wrinkles his nose. "If anyone deserves this party, it's you."

"Well, you and Ladybug, of course," the ex-Ladyblogger adds. Damian knows that she's updated her old haunt one last time, to declare the villains defeated and the heroes victorious, and as far as he knows, it has now been made inactive. "I wonder why she hasn't come tonight."

"Perhaps she has," Damian can't help but say, catching Adrien's eye. "But she's spent a long time being Ladybug. Maybe she wants to enjoy the celebrations in her own skin."

Cesaire doesn't know what to say to him though, and with the ensuing awkward silence he takes his leave.

When eventually he does find Marinette, she and Kagami are stood a few feet back from a mask stand, giggling to each other uncontrollably. At first he's confused, but when Chloe bursts through the wall of people separating the girls from the mask stand, holding something, he understands.

"It's ridiculous, absolutely _ridiculous!"_ she cries, waving one of the masks aloft. The mask has plastic blonde hair, he notices, his lips fighting to curve into a grin. "Look at it! This thing looks nothing like me!"

"You mean, nothing like Queen Bee," Marinette quickly throws out, choking back her laughter for the moment. Really, Damian thinks, looking down at the unfortunate creation, it looks nothing like either Bourgeois or her heroine counterpart, but this is too good to be true.

"I'm not sure," he says in his most no-nonsense tone, plucking the thing from her hands. "I see a resemblance."

"I will _skin you,_ cat boy," she snarls.

Kagami shakes her head, and he notices she has a rather dodgy Ryuko mask on the back of hers. "It doesn't matter, Chloe. They're cheap masks."

"Exactly!" she exalts, throwing up her hands as they move away and begin a slow walk towards the Seine. "Nothing - and I mean _nothing_ \- that's associated with me is allowed to be _cheap_. Ugh, it's_ awful."_

"I like mine," Marinette says. "Damian's too. I bought a couple for keepsakes."

"Oh, they haven't made one of _me,_ have they?" he groans.

"They've done all of us, even Chat Noir." This fact seems to have made her very happy indeed, and Damian can't begrudge her for it.

The further into the carnival they go, the greater Damian's melancholy grows, and he realises just how much he will miss this. The city, the people - _his_ people. For all the family he has at home, and the few people he considers his friends, he has the feeling now that for all his snipes, and all of theirs, these people are his, and he doesn't think he wants to leave them.

Unable to bear looking at the river, or the Eiffel Tower up ahead of them, or any of the cobbled roads with their ancient streetlamps a moment longer, he turns to the girls and says, "Lets get drinks. They're on me."

They're surprised but not argumentative, and Luka's favourite haunt, the Engine Shed, isn't as crowded as they expected it to be.

"Everyone's at the carnival," the bartender says. "What can I get you?"

Gathered around the fireplace, they warm their tired bones and relax. There's no live band in tonight, and the sound from the stereos is muted, so it feels a bit like they're sinking into a dream, calm, undisturbed -

_"My children!_ This is where you've run off to!"

Forget all of that.

Damian casts Luka and Nathaniel an irritable look as they head over, which they both resolutely ignore.

"Hey guys," Marinette says, smiling at them from the top of her head. "Where've you been?"

"I made that stall owner my bitch," Luka says, aiming his comment at Damian, who nods approvingly.

"What did you win then?"

Here, Luka's cheeks colour and he mumbles something indecipherable. Nathaniel seems to repress a grin, and he holds up a mildly cursed, knock-off Lapras attached to a key ring.

"Observe."

“Hey, Kagami, how’re you doing?” Luka says loudly, clambering over Chloe's legs to reach the free seat beside her.

She's smiling lazily, slouched back on the sofa, but she turns to Luka as he says this and replies, “I’m doing pretty fucking good baby, how _you _doing?”

He huffs a surprised laugh, then turns to Chloe and says, “Don’t let her drink any more.”

"She's not the _goddamned boss_ of me," Kagami barks, so violently that Luka shifts away from her slightly. Nathaniel, settled at her side, looks a little less safe all of a sudden, staring into the flames of the fire like they're the most fascinating thing he's ever seen.

The door opens again and it's Damian's brothers, who eyeball them immediately and come over.

"Drink responsibly kids," Jason announces magnanimously.

Chloe snorts. "Don't tell French people how to take their alcohol, yankee. We've been drinking it a lot longer than you have."

"Considering the drinking ages in France and the US, that might be literal," Dick mutters. "Little D, we need a word."

"Can't it wait?" he spits, knowing already what they want.

"No -"

"I mean sure -"

"We've been in conference with Bruce," Tim says, shooting his brothers an irritated look. "He's gonna need us home within the week. The Annual New Year's Arkham Breakout began last night. The Riddler ran off with the Penguin and they won't be the only ones to go." He claps Damian on the shoulder and then the three brothers merge further into the bar, and find a table to gather around.

Damian watches them go with a tightness in his throat that he can't shift. He turns to Marinette, begins to speak, then realises their friends are right there.

Instead, he says, "Can we sit at the bar for a minute? I think we need to talk."

Less wound up than she used to be, she doesn't bother questioning him and nods. They find two seats away from everyone else, where they can talk without risk of being overheard. The lights from the bar send a golden glow beaming down around them, almost like they've been sealed off in their own little world. He orders them each another drinks, waits for them to arrive, and starts talking.

"We might be split up soon," he says.

She starts a little. "I - I know, Damian. The job here's done, and they need you in Gotham."

_Bullshit, they need me,_ he wants to say. Instead, "I haven't said I'm going back yet. I'm - uh - I'm enrolled at Francois-Dupont, thanks to Richard. I can't just leave." But of course he can, they both know it.

"You haven't spent a _month_ there collectively," Marinette says, rolling her eyes. She's rolling her glass between her hands and staring down into the swirling liquid, rather than look at him. "Besides, with Ms Bustier under investigation, classes are going to be in uproar. You'd be better off back at Gotham Academy."

"I don't know what -"

"We shouldn't put the rest of our lives on hold for each other, Damian." Only now does she look at him and when she does, she's looking right into his soul. "We can still see each other all the time! Talk on Facetime, visits and so forth. Jason offered me a plane a few months back, I might take him up on it. And then there's Chloe's yacht trip! She won't let you skip out on it, you know, so you'll have to come home for that."

He pauses to digest her slew of verbal diarrhea - for want of a more graceful term - and says, "I still don't know what I'm going to do, Marinette."

The knowing look she gives him is paralyzing. "Yes you do, bobcat. We both do."

He swallows the lump in his throat. "Well, not even Marinette Dupain-Cheng can guess what whims may take Lord Maleun next. I am a mountain."

Marinette throws her head back and laughs, her voice light and tinkling, before she beams at him, pats him on the arm and says, “Oh, I love you Damian.” Then she turns her head back towards the TV and watches the report they're showing on Nathalie Sancouer.

Behind them, Chloe is nagging Luka about the _absolute state_ of her Queen Bee mask, and a drunken Kagami is ranting to Nathaniel about her scars. His brothers, just in eyeshot, have gathered around a table together and for once seem totally carefree, laughing and joking, each with a drink in hand. The Engine Shed has emptied out as the night has worn on because outside, they've been setting off fireworks.

He breathes in the smell of the room. He closes his eyes. Opens them.

“I love you too, Marinette.”

He looks down into his glass, drains it, and replaces it perfectly in the centre of the beer mat, eyes fixed on the ring he always wears. He doesn’t speak again for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're very nearly there now.


	29. iii. And In The End.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melancholy grips Marinette's heart. "Yes, Damian. One last patrol. You and me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOTD: The End by the Beatles. The love you take is equal to the love you make.

Six months pass before the majority of the trials come to an end, and the Wayne boys have long since returned to Gotham City, though their friendship remains strong.

Marinette follows the trials with great intensity, all the while dreading some last minute curveball on Gabriel's part. None comes.

"A man, in every sense, defeated," the news calls him, while going into eye-watering detail of his rise, reign and fall.

The police find Emilie Agreste in eternal cryostasis beneath the abandoned mansion and as horror ripples through Paris anew, they comment that the eerie tomb was filled with more life than all of the man's home put together.

Inevitably, as all things in this case have done, this leads attention back round to Adrien, his name and face splashed across every news site in the country.

"The poor boy" is what some call him, while others prefer "likely conspirator" or names to that effect. Some people - more than Marinette would like to admit - dismiss his pains, scoff at his therapy and his attempts to put his life back together. "Poor little rich boy", they call him. She hopes none of them are people she gave up her strength to save.

On 17th June, she stands and watches in full Ladybug garb as Gabriel Agreste is sent down for life. She's at Adrien's side throughout, in the crowded courtroom, a hand on his shoulder in solidarity while on his other side stands the woman who used to be Mourning Star. He's shaking as the gavel goes down, but Gabriel never even glances in their direction, so she moves to hold his hand instead, a dearly needed anchor to reality on this most surreal of days. All of the French press is there, crammed into the room and the halls, and swarming outside; she knows they all saw.

Two days later, this same pattern repeats for Nathalie Sancoeur, but on the day Lila Rossi is sentenced, Adrien doesn't bother showing. Neither does Elise, the press, nor the pulsing crowds. Lila's ultimate audience consists of the judge, Ladybug, and her own weeping mother. Her glare as she is led, handcuffed, from one of the lesser courtrooms, might have months ago stopped someone's heart.

And then that's it. The Hawkmoth Trials are an an end.

Marinette sighs, nodding to the judge and slinking out via an exit in the back of the building. Someone is waiting for her there.

"Is it done?" Lynx Maleun asks.

"It's done," she confirms, and then the tension drains from his strong shoulders.

"It took them long enough."

"Trials always take time," she points out. "They gave her twenty five years to life." They stroll away from the exit, as casually through the grimy back alley as others might take a jaunt through a meadow. "She was so high on her powers that in the frenzy of those last three days, she attacked people out of her suit as well. People who died. She won't walk free."

A satisfied smile curves his lips; he looks happy enough to burst into song. The idea is significantly unnerving. Through the streets, past crowds of people who have almost no idea who they are - though the _Marinette_ start-up is predicted to one day fill the void _Gabriel_ left behind, and some do recognise the visage of Bruce Wayne's son - Marinette thinks they are finally free to be happy.

"Clark and Diana called," he tells her. "They were very pleased with the results of the trials. Asked me to pass on their congratulations."

Marinette, who could swear she saw a Barry West-style flash of red towards the start and end of Gabriel's sentencing, smiles. "You must be excited to see them all again. Five months is a long time to be separated from your entire family."

He scowls. "Hardly my entire family when Richard kept flying back for 'surprise visits', is it? Besides, I don't get _excited,_ Marinette."

"Oh no, excuse me. I forget you're from Victorian England sometimes."

He huffs a laugh despite himself, stern expression dissipating. "My flights are booked. My apartment's going to be emptied out for me while we're in Spain... There's not much left to do now."

"No, I guess there isn't." She falls silent and begins worrying her lip between her teeth. From her side there's a soft sigh, and then Damian's pulling her to a stop in the middle of the street, and enfolding her in his arms.

"Everything's going to be fine," he whispers in her ear, and smooths his hand down her back.

She fists up his jacket and burrows her face into the material, which smells so much like him, and feels the weight of everything finally hit her - or lift from her shoulders. The sensation is so immense that she isn't quite sure which it is yet.

They stay like this for a while longer, until she gathers up the strength to pull away from his embrace.

"Come on," she says, her voice a little thick. She picks up his hand and drags him off. "I want to make sure Grayson is fully settled in with my parents."

"And then patrol?" he asks.

Melancholy grips her heart. "Yes, Damian. One last patrol. You and me." _And all of Paris,_ she thinks. They pass a shop window that has a Ladybug and Lynx Maleun display in it; a quaint, handmade thing. This city is with them wherever they go, and that's just fine.

* * *

It's not a great day for Adrien. He lies in bed for an hour after he wakes up, and only moves when Elise and Louis make him. But they cheat, luring him out with French toast which they _know_ he loves...

The TV is conspicuously off when he emerges from his cave and neither of his foster parents say anything about it, but he knows what day it is. Lila Rossi has been sentenced, and that means the Hawkmoth Trials will be declared over. For the general public, that might be true. For him, they're never going to end.

"Adrien! There you are!" Elise's voice is over-bright, and her smile is strained when she presses a cup of coffee into his hand, brewed just how he likes it. He looks down into the coffee for a moment, then into her face. Mourning Star's ghost haunts it today. It's done that a lot recently. "Louis made a late breakfast for us both. Isn't he a sweetheart?" She pushes him into a dining chair and busies herself with folding towels until Louis takes her gently by the arm and seats her opposite Adrien.

"You're both in need of a pick me up," he declares. "Adrien's all packed for Spain, Elise and I are ready for Bordeaux... We're going to have a good summer." He pauses. "Or, failing that, we're going to have a good Autumn. My point - good times are coming."

"I agree," Elise says, smiling her widest for him until he quietly tells her that she doesn't have to pretend for his sake. She turns her gaze on Adrien, sat silent. "We've survived, and we're going to keep doing that."

"Agreed," he manages to croak, and then takes a sip of his coffee, a bite of his toast. It really is very good. That's something. "I'm going to Orange Grove later," he tells them. "See my friends."

Elise nods. "That's fine. I've an appointment with my therapist in the afternoon, and then..."

"Then we can get together anything last minute we need for Bordeaux," Louis supplies when she comes up short. "We're all busy today. Busy's good."

"Busy's good," he repeats tonelessly.

He tries not to think about those last moments in the Agreste manor. Tries, tries, tries. It's useless, really, but he lives in hope that one day he's not going to think about it at all. About_ Him,_ or his mother, dead, beneath the manor for _years -_

_"Adrien!"_ He jumps, blinking, to find that when he was lost in his mind, his hand has slipped, and his coffee is spreading across the wooden table. Elise and Louis are watching him through eyes sad and alarmed respectively.

"S-Sorry," he stammers, leaping up to fetch some kitchen roll. "I've got it."

Louis is staring at him now, and he knows what's coming. "Are you sure you're ready -"

"Yes! Yes, I'm ready for a break. Need it. I can't stay here right now." He shakes his head and takes a moment for himself, just to breathe. "I need to be with my friends," he says.

"So go to them," Elise says softly. "I love you, sweetheart."

The smile he gives her before he goes to dress is mostly genuine. "Love you too, Elise."

Nathaniel is the only one around when he arrives, but that doesn't matter. The redhead is surprisingly open about his recent therapy, and Adrien finds his heart growing lighter to speak so frankly with someone other than Elise, or Doctor Blanchard.

As Nooroo and Trixx convene around a small plate of snacks, they settle at the kitchen island. The talk is mostly inane to begin with, which is just fine.

"Do you know what the international call rates are like from Spain?" Nathaniel mutters, scrolling through his phone. "I need to be able to call home."

"That's the condition I've been allowed to go under," Adrien says, scratching at the back of his neck. "The doctor says I can go wherever I like, so long as I make myself available for phone calls at least once a week." 

"Mine said the same thing," Nathaniel admits. "And also, I'm supposed to call her if I ever just need to talk. Time of day doesn't matter. That's the one part Marc disagrees with. If I call him at any time of day when the sun isn't up, he's going to walk to Spain just to shank me."

"I'm not sure about the rates..."

"Ah, young love," an aged voice chuckles, and they turn to the front door. It's Master Fu, come to see their progress. "Are you all ready for the off?"

"I think so," Nathaniel says, glancing around uncertainly. His eyes widen a fraction. "I feel like I'm forgetting about things I don't even _own."_

Adrien gives a half-hearted smile. "What if we _actually_ need a kitchen sink though?"

Master Fu is still chuckling. "I'm sure you'll all survive the trip. Now, Nathaniel, I was hoping you might give me a minute alone with young Adrien here."

The Fox makes himself busy checking the security around the skylight of the hideout, and so Master and ex-student are alone. Adrien is immediately tense, but he waits to see what Fu has to say.

"I'm sorry." Adrien's mouth drops open, but Fu is just getting started. "I am... most sorry for _everything,_ my boy. You should have never had to go through the things that you have, and I am man enough to admit that much of the blame lies on my own shoulders. I should have known better than to recruit so young, not now that there is no Guardianship to assist in your growth and training."

"It's - okay, Master Fu," he breathes, but the words sound insubstantial, even to his own ears. It isn't okay, and it never will be. "I forgive you."

His eyebrows raise. "Do you?"

"One day," he adds after a pause. "Everything is too close. I can't think about it yet."

"'One day' is, I fear, more than I even deserve, my boy," Fu says, eyes crinkling into a sad smile. He offers his hand out to shake. "I see you still wearing the Butterfly brooch. Keep it," he says when Adrien moves to take it off. "I think Nooroo deserves the holiday, if you're willing to take him along for the time being."

The lilac kwami, who Adrien has just realised has been watching the whole exchange, does perk up a bit at the suggestion, and Adrien has actually found that the little guy makes for good company. Misery loves it, he supposes.

"I can do that," he nods, managing an almost real smile for the old man.

The front door opens, and Marinette and Damian step inside. Tikki and Plagg zoom into the open space, the Luck kwami swooping upon Nooroo immediately.

"I told you he'd still be here, sugar cube!" his old friend cries smugly, and Adrien laughs as Plagg barrels into him with all the force a two-inch-tall God of destruction can. He's a little worried that Damian might be possessive over the kwami who is technically his now, but the Wayne boy looks perfectly content. "Good to see ya, kid! How're ya holding up?"

"I'm hanging in there," he says, smiling genuinely as Plagg nuzzles his face.

"You're a champ, that's why!"

"Hello, Master Fu," Marinette laughs, watching the exchange fondly. "Here to check up on us?"

"Among other things," he says. "I know that you two were planning to patrol tonight, but before you leave for Spain, I'd like to speak to you privately, Marinette." Adrien catches Fu's eye and nods approvingly.

"Sure, I can drop by your place tomorrow morning!"

"We were going to order in for dinner," Damian, who caught Adrien's look but didn't comment, says instead. "Do you two want to join us?"

"Sure," Adrien says, beginning to grin for real as Plagg and Nooroo flit about his head and Tikki rolls her eyes at them. "I'll have to let Elise know I'm not going home though."

Master Fu declines and makes his excuses, and their last night at Orange Grove for the foreseeable future is spent in a comfortable, if not slightly sombre, silence.

When Adrien does go home, Marinette turns to the kwamis with a warm smile. "Well," she says, and they jump to attention. "What do you say to one last patrol through Paris, for old time's sake?"

Tikki laughs. "I doubt it's our _last,_ Marinette! Now might be the time for your rest, and you've earned it a thousand times over, but trust me, this city's always going to need it's Ladybug."

There's a short silence as Plagg stares Damian down. "You're just okay, kid."

"Oh, thanks a lot," he huffs as Marinette gives a watery laugh. "Plagg,_ Claws Out!"_

"What will we do with them?" she asks her kwami with faux-exasperation. "Tikki, _Spots On!"_

For the first time in months the people of the city gape and point, crying out in joy when they see Ladybug and Lynx Maleun cross the rooftops of Paris. The duo race and bound and laugh; they help a few cats down from a few trees and wave to many civilians. Eventually, against apricot summer sky, they come to settle atop the Eiffel Tower, and somehow, everyone who sees them knows this is the last time they will witness such a sight.

They stop and too settle down; on the bridges and benches, in the trees, wherever they can, and for a brief, precious moment, the city comes to an almost-standstill, as it shares one last precious moment with the heroes it barely deserved.

* * *

It's a hot, sunny afternoon in Brittany when Chloe and Kagami stride down the boardwalk, heading for the harbour where the _Queen Bee_ is docked. Chloe's very official captain's hat is offset by her impractical skirt and strappy sandals, whereas Kagami is dressed almost painfully sensibly; shorts, t-shirt, visor cap.

"I shouldn't let you onto my ship looking that plain," Chloe says without much heat. "But today's special, so I'll let it slide."

"Gracious of you," she says wryly. "Why is today so special?"

"Because Rossi won't be walking free any time soon," she says, slipping her phone into her bag. "It's moving day. She might even be settling into her new home as we speak."

"Good," Kagami says, tipping her head back slightly to feel the wind sift through her hair. "It's about time she was locked up."

_"Hey Nathaniel!"_ Chloe barks as they near the yacht docked in the harbour. A familiar head of red hair pops up over the side. "Help us up!"

He scrambles to do so, and the girls find they're the last to arrive. Everyone else is already aboard, milling about and buzzing with excitement.

"It's good to see you've all made yourselves at home," she drawls, staring at Nino who's sat with his feet up on the cream bench at the stern of the ship. He flushes a bit and slowly lowers them to the ground.

"Calm down, Chloe," Marinette says, lugging an icebox out from beneath deck. "You're the one who insisted we take this trip, remember! We'd better feel at home if we're spending weeks on board."

"Dupain-Cheng," she says, nodding. "You don't look terrible."

"Thank you, Bee. I try my best." Her best is very good, to say the least. Chloe stares enviously at the halterneck she's wearing, wondering where she got it from, before she alights upon the _Marinette_ stitched into the hem and makes note to ask her for one.

"Are we ready to go?"

"When you are!" Marinette says brightly. She puts her hands on her hips and looks around. "I can't think of anything else we need to do."

"That's because we've done everything, Nettie," Luka says patiently, emerging from below deck as well. Chloe straightens her posture imperceptibly but doesn't say anything, because a smile is threatening to curve Dupain-Cheng's lips and Chloe won't put up with her knowing looks all summer.

"Are you _sure_ though?" she asks, wringing her hands the longer she overthinks.

"Yes, Marinette," Kagami says, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Enough fussing."

"Actually," another voice from below breaks in, "there is one more thing to do."

Damian is the third one to come up from below deck, slipping a pair of sunglasses on as he steps into the sun.

_"I knew it,"_ Marinette gushes, pressing her hands over her lenses. "What was it? Is it our passports? Do we have enough water?_ Oh Tikki,_ we left it all behind didn't we -"

_"Lila!"_ Damian crows over her rambles. "We forgot about Lila."

Her shoulders deflate. "Oh. Oh yes, I knew it was something."

Nino, standing to the edge of the group, looks confused. "What does Lila Rossi have to do with _this?"_

"We haven't told you?" he asks. "She's being transferred to her new home today; we thought we'd send her a little parting gift."

"What? I don't get it, dudes."

Kagami calls, _"Adrien!_ Where are you? It's time to go!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" he replies, but none of them can see him. "Yes, Elise, I promise to look after myself." He appears from the captain's cabin, phone pressed to his ear. He hurries down the stairs to them and holds up his free hand to prompt a moment of silence. "Yes. No excessive drinking, I swear. Yes, I'll look after Nino."

_"Hey,"_ Nino says quietly; Chloe shushes him.

"I promise. I promise." Another pause. "Love you too. Thanks, Elise! We will!" When he hangs up, he says to them, "Elise says hey, and also we all have to be responsible -"

"And look after ourselves, and not get into any trouble," Marinette finishes, smiling. "I got the same speech from my parents."

"As did I from my brothers," Damian mutters, clenching his jaw slightly. He clears his throat. "Shall we?"

"I'm going to enjoy this," Nathaniel says, as they head over to the seats by the stern.

Luka hangs back with Nino, who asks, "What are you doing?"

"Shut up and hold this," he says, shoving his phone into Nino's hands.

"What do you want me to do with it?" he asks, incredulous.

_"Film,"_ he and Chloe say simultaneously. When he sits down beside her and throws his arm over the back of her seat, Nino has to wonder about them, but Kagami asks, "Are you ready?" so he shakes his head and presses record.

"Ready."

Marinette, at the centre of the ensemble, puts on a big, false smile and looks into the camera. _"Lila Rossi!"_ she begins, and her friends all chorus the same as Damian passes around just-filled champagne flutes. "We're just checking in before we head off to Spain."

"Big plans for the summer on our end," Nathaniel says, as if discussing the weather, which is frankly perfect. "I'm not sure what the summer holidays are like in prison though..."

"Neither am I," Kagami says, "but I'm certain they don't involve beaches or cocktails, so we'll have to be sure to take plenty of photos for our good friend Lila to enjoy from her cell."

"She's been such a good friend to us, it would be rude for us not to," he agrees; they clink their glasses together.

"Yeah, and you know, if you have any other little friends who want to come and play..." Adrien begins, a smirk playing at his lips.

"Just say the word," Damian finishes, smirking outright. "It's been an _absolute pleasure."_

_"Ha!_ Enjoy prison, bitch." Chloe's eyes flash victoriously. "These drinks are all on you! We wouldn't be here on this yacht drinking them, if it hadn't been for you and your bullshit."

"Not much fizz in prison," Kagami agrees, leaning closer into Adrien with an increasingly sly expression. "So you'll have to take our word for it."

"Now, we have to be off," Damian says, making a show of checking his watch. "We can hardly spend all day talking to _you_ when Spain awaits."

"So have fun," Adrien says, "and uh - I don't know, send us a postcard?"

"From prison?" Marinette muses. "I don't think they make those. Check the gift shop when you arrive, Lila. Bye now!"

"Goodbye!" _"See ya!"_ "Bye-bye!"

Everyone waves, and in the last second before Nino stops recording, Marinette winks into the camera, raises her glass in a final, private toast, and downs the last of her champagne.

"Nice," Nino chuckles, sending the video file off to the right source. "Very nice you guys."

_"Right!"_ Luka cries, jumping up with his own champagne still in hand, "lets get this boat moving! Chloe, give me a hand."

"What, you've never gone yachting before?" she complains, following him nonetheless. He steals the captain's hat from her head as she passes him and they vanish into the captain's cabin together. Moments later, they feel the engines strike up and Marinette stretches, catlike, in her seat and throws her head back.

Damian looks down at her with an amused smile. "That was very audacious of you," he says.

"Eh, she deserves it." With the sun's rays beaming down on her, the sea's winds blowing through her hair and the champagne's liquid courage humming in her veins, Marinette would tell the Joker to fuck off to his face right now. "It felt _good."_

"I can think of other things that feel good," he muses, and watches with amusement as Nathaniel eases himself away from them with a face red enough to match his hair. He goes to join Nino, as their boat pulls away from the harbour and begins its creeping journey across the azure sea.

"Tell me _all_ about it," she says, nudging his side.

"Relaxation suits you," he says instead, tucking a loose lock of hair behind the temple of her sunglasses.

"Ditto." She clinks her empty champagne flute against his half-full one. "You like the glasses?"

He takes them from his face, examining the shades and in particular, the little _Marinette_, inscribed in gold on the side. This is unnecessary; he spent an hour staring at them when she first gave them to him ("These are officially my _first_ accessory," she had cried proudly), and he already knows he never intends to have a pair by anyone else.

"I like the glasses," he nods at last, sliding them back onto his face. "Where is everyone?"

They're alone at the stern of the ship; Chloe and Luka are steering (at least that's what they're _supposed_ to be doing) and Kagami and Adrien vanished below deck not long after they finished filming the video. Nino and Nathaniel, the only non-couple on board, have paired off as well, mostly to complain about the couples around them and their own significant others.

"They can look after themselves," she says.

"Lila's jailing really _has_ mellowed you out, hasn't it?"

She shrugs, trying to look nonchalant. "I'm breezy."

"Well I think it's good," he says seriously. "It's about time you let yourself relax. You say _I'm_ bad."

"You are! You wouldn't know rest and relaxation if it hit you with a batarang."

"What am I doing _right now?"_ he asks, gesturing around at the boat.

"Irritating your girlfriend," she says, pretending to grumble. "Keep it up and I'll change my mind about September."

He stares at her. "No, you won't."

"Won't I? Moving to Gotham City's going to be a _lot_ of work after all..."

"You said you wanted to meet Titus, and Barbara, and - and you're bluffing, I know it." Confidence restored, he smirks at her. "Gotham awaits, Marinette."

"I can't wait to see her again," she says, smiling softly.

A short silence falls as in the distance, the harbour gets smaller and smaller. Finally away from prying eyes, the kwami emerge from their hiding places and convene together. Nooroo in particular seems to enjoy the feeling of the wind on his face. Marinette watches them dance and play, and that feeling of melancholy takes her again.

Her team, her people, are going to be split up after Spain; with she and Damian in Gotham, and Luka's band beginning to tour France, that's three of them gone immediately. Kagami's going to one university, Nathaniel to another, one that specialises in art, which leaves Chloe the last wielder in Paris.

"I'm going to shadow Daddy," she had declared in May. "The least I can learn from him is his business."

A sudden lump comes to Marinette's throat. "Everything's going to change now, isn't it?"

Damian follows her chain of thought easily. "Yes. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, I think it is."

His fingers thread through hers and they remain this way until the sun has moved through the summer sky a good deal, turning it from celadon to a darker lapis shade. The coastline of France has long since been swallowed up in the great blue, and lights are lit aboard the ship to help guide the way as one by one, their friends rejoin them on the deck.

"Okay," Luka sighs, easing himself down with guitar in hand. "Who wants to hear Wonderwall?"

They all groan and throw things at him until he stops, and when Kagami chucks an empty Sprite can at his head and it perfectly bounces off, landing in a nearby bin, the shock on his face sends Marinette into a spiral of giggles, which become increasingly out of control as the others join in.

"The look on your _face_, dude, " Nino wheezes.

"Yes, can you please learn to control yourself?" Chloe asks. "I can't have people thinking I'm friends with an idiot."

"It's a bit late for that," Nathaniel says, and barely ducks in time when Luka whips an empty can at his head. 

"I don't think this is what Elise had in mind when she told us to keep out of trouble," Adrien says, but he's smiling too, alive in the eyes for the first time in months. He goes to share a wry smile with Marinette, but she isn't paying any more attention. 

Her laughter has died down as she and Damian press their foreheads together, muttering sweet nothings, and Adrien turns away to give them the illusion of privacy.

"Our friends are idiots," Damian tells Marinette, quite gravely. "It may be terminal."

"That sounds serious," she says, playing along even as she tries to force down a smile.

"Yes, indeed, I fear there is nothing I can do for them." In the background, Luka is goading Kagami into coming at him, top speed, with her sabre; Nathaniel is betting on whether or not he survives with Nino, as Chloe throws back her head in disgust and Adrien tries to make himself invisible. "We'll just have to live with it, I think."

"But I don't want to go among mad people!"

He barks out a laugh. "Oh, you can't help that, habibti. We're all mad here."

"Does that include you?" she asks, tracing her fingertip in gentle patterns across his cheekbone.

He leans into her touch. "Yes, I'm afraid to say it does."

He closes his lips over hers to seal the deal, and they staunchly ignore the sudden eruption of cheers and wolf whistles, and the can that bounces off Damian's head. They entwine themselves together and there drift into the blue, willfully oblivious to their friends antics, and to the spray of the sea against their skin, the salt, tangy and sharp in the night air, in their nostrils and on their tongues.

The sky is infinite above them, the sea is endless below them, and their friends are laughing beside them, and though there is room in this bubble for no one but Marinette and Damian, that's okay as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that’s it. That’s really it. It took a few months, but we made it to the end, and I’m not very good at End notes, but I want to say thank you. Thank you, to everyone who gave kudos and reviewed my chapters, whether it was just the first chapter, or the first story arc, or every single chapter I released. For those of you who made it three chapters in, or who stuck it out to the bitter end, thank you. Thank you for your love, your enthusiasm, and for making a rather lonely writer feel a little less lonely, once a week, every week.
> 
> I’m really not very good at this part, but I need you all to know how much it means, and will continue to mean; I have all of your comments and reviews and general expressions of love saved, and I will save them for the rest of my life. You were the first people to make me think that my work is appreciated, and that will stay with my, just as I hope the Darker Origins cast will stay with you.
> 
> I remain a part of the fandom and plan to write for the ship again but one last time, just in case we do not meet again: Thank you.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Facts and Fanfiction](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23792761) by [queengeek1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/queengeek1/pseuds/queengeek1)


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